Hiei's Date
by Jaylyn Gilfer Bustinex
Summary: DISCONTINUED FOR NOW. Hiei is forced to meet a girl from Kurama's school and find he might be able to stand her. She joins them at the DT and beyond and he might more that stand her.
1. Meeting Hiei

Ok. I'm going to try to update this chapter. I'm having formatting problems.  
  
Disclaimer: I don not own anything in the YYH universe. For the first two chapters about the dates, I borrowed the main ideas form another site, ie the movie, then McDonalds , and getting attacked. I filled them out and added other scenes. **************************************************************************** ***********  
  
Kurama stood before Koenma's desk and sighed.  
  
"I don't understand why we have to do this." Koenma pointed to a screen at the other end of the room. It showed a teenage girl walking with her friends to school. The girl smiled and laughed with her friends.  
  
"That girl has immense Spirit Potential. With the right training, she could be stronger than Yusuke. But we need someone she trusts to explain it all. You have already tried to befriend her with little success. Besides, she can help him. Everything's in place. I won't change it now." Koenma said.  
  
Kurama sighed again, then nodded. "I'll make sure it works, but he won't go on more than one."  
  
"That's up to her. I believe she will have no problem. Now go to school." Koenma dismissed Kurama. Kurama turned and watched the girl and her friends walk into the school. He left.  
  
* * * *  
  
Lorin followed her friends into the auditorium. Everyone had come. This school had a tradition that freshman, sophomores, and new students, be paired for one blind date with someone else from the school. Junior and Seniors could participate, if they wanted to, but it wasn't required. She thought it was rather stupid idea, but she really didn't have a choice. Lorin heard all the girls around her sigh. She knew without looking up that Shuichi had walked into the auditorium. She turned as someone took the seat next to hers. It was Shuichi. She smiled at him.  
  
"Hey, Shuichi . Are you participating this year?" He returned her smile.  
  
"Yes, I participate every year." Shuichi looked past her and winced. Lorin followed his gaze. A guy had just walked in. He was about her height, with black hair that stood almost straight up. He was wearing all black, except for a white headband over his forehead, probably to keep that hair out of his face. From this far away, she couldn't tell what color his eyes were.  
  
"Friend of yours, Shuichi ?" Lorin asked, curious. Shuichi opened his mouth to respond, but the President of the Student Council called the meeting to order. Shuichi shrugged and turned toward the front of the room. Lorin glanced back at the young man. He hadn't moved a muscle except to stare at the Class President. The drawing began. Lorin watched as her friends and Shuichi got paired up. Then it was her turn. She walked up to the stage. The Class President looked at the piece of paper with her date's name and frowned. Then he shrugged and read, "Hiei." Lorin looked around. She didn't know the school had anyone named Hiei. Suddenly he was there next to her. It was the young man that Shuichi had mentioned. She studied him for a minute. Up close, she could now tell what color his eyes were. They were red?!? They walked off the stage.  
  
"So, I'm Lorin. You're Hiei right? I didn't know you went to this school." Hiei didn't turn to face her. "I don't." He bit out. "Meet me in the park tomorrow at 6." Then he strode off as quickly as possible. Lorin frowned. She had thought that to be a part of the drawing, you had to go to the school. And he sure didn't say more than necessary, but she was strangely intrigued by him. She shrugged and returned to her friends.  
  
* * * *  
  
Lorin paused at the entrance to the park. She was a little nervous. Lorin had chosen to wear a V-neck, dark green, three-quarter length sleeve shirt and dark blue jeans. She had keep her hair down, except for the very sides of her hair. These were swept back with two dragon combs. The rest of it fell around her shoulders. She had chosen to not wear make-up. She really didn't like make-up much. Lorin took a deep breath and walked into the park, in search of Hiei. She found him standing on a tree branch in the middle of the park, staring into space.  
  
"Um, hi." Lorin ventured, when Hiei didn't seem to notice her. He didn't respond for a minute then looked down at her. He looked her over, then gave her a small grin. He leaped lightly from the branch to the ground, his hands hiding in pants pockets.  
  
"So... I suppose you want to do something now." Hiei said. It wasn't really a question and not quite a statement. Lorin gave a small nod. "Well, I was thinking a movie. There's a movie theater across from the park." A movie was safe. They didn't even have to talk. Hiei nodded. When he didn't move beyond nodding, Lorin swallowed and started walking toward the movie house. She heard light foot steps behind her and gave a little sigh of relief. He was following her. When they reached the movie house, she turned to Hiei.  
  
"What do you want to watch?" she asked him. He just stared at her. After a minute she broke eye contact. She looked at the movie listings.  
  
"Ok, um, how about Highlander: Endgame? I've heard it's pretty good." Hiei shrugged and bought the tickets.  
  
* * * *  
  
Lorin blinked as they stepped out of the dark theater. She looked at Hiei. "So, did you like it?" Lorin had. She thought it was a great story.  
  
"I was ready to leave. Then, finally, people started to die." Lorin blinked and Hiei was gone. She looked around. Where had he gone? Well, she at least had learned that he wasn't a romantic. Lorin felt a reluctance to leave the movie theater. She decided to wait around for a few minutes to see if Hiei would come back. About ten minutes later, Hiei was suddenly back, standing next to her.  
  
"I had to check on someone. "He said. Lorin figured that was all the explanation she was going to get.  
  
"I guess you need to eat." He continued. Hiei walked off down the street, Lorin following close behind. He stopped at a McDonalds. He got her a Happy Meal and a coke for himself. He led her over to a table.  
  
"There," he said. "Don't sit too close to me." He took a sip of his coke. Lorin was shocked. Was he being rude and demeaning on purpose? Yet, despite being insulted, she still really wanted to stay. She didn't know why, but she wanted to get to know him. She started to eat a few fries, when Hiei's coke turned into a geyser.  
  
Lorin peered into Hiei's cup as a voice called out, "Danielle, get back here." There was a small toy in the cup. She fished it out and handed it back to the little girl who had come to get it. She turned to look at Hiei and suppressed a snicker. He was covered in coke.  
  
"Oh, Hiei, let me help you." Lorin reached for some napkins as Hiei wiped his eyes with the edge of his sleeve. The white headband he wore slid off. Underneath, it looked like he had what looked like a third eye and it was opening!! Lorin started at it, fascinated.  
  
Suddenly, fire formed in Hiei's hand and he threw it at the McDonalds. The restaurant exploded and Lorin was hit with pieces of debris. She felt a sharp pain on her arm. Lorin looked for Hiei. He was standing next to her. A voice came from the flames, "So you have found me. We are not finished yet, Hiei."  
  
"You live. I will fix that." Hiei drew a sword. Where had that come from? Out of the fire, a figure appeared. He had a dark aura around him. In his hand a ball of energy formed. The figure threw it at Hiei's back. "Watch out!!" Lorin yelled at Hiei. Hiei dodged out of the way and the energy ball destroyed a table next to them. The shards hit Lorin. She felt something wet slide down her arm, but couldn't take the time to look at it. Hiei grabbed Lorin and threw her up toward the ceiling as another ball of energy flew right by where she had been. Lorin screamed and the figure watched her fly into the air. Suddenly the figure was oozing blood out of his mouth and exploded into tiny bits. Lorin fell back toward the ground and braced for impact. Her downward movement was stopped when Hiei caught her in his arms. He had blood smeared on his face and his third eye was still open. Lorin reached up and gently touched the skin right next to the eye. She felt Hiei flinch as she did.  
  
"Are you hurt?" He asked. Lorin shifted her gaze to his face. There was a hint of concern in his voice. Lorin took stock of herself.  
  
"Yeah, I think so. My arm." Lorin reached her other hand to her arm and it came away bloody. Hiei gave her another rare grin.  
  
"Then, I had better carry you home." Lorin sighed in relief. She leaned against Hiei's chest and closed her eyes. Suddenly they were at her house. She must have dozed off. She could have sworn that they had just left the McDonalds. Hiei gently set her down on her doorstep. He pulled something out of his pocket and gave it to her.  
  
"Umm, you dropped it." Lorin looked at it. It was her burnt Happy Meal toy. She smiled.  
  
"Thank you, Hiei. I had a good time." Before she could think it through, Lorin reached out and kissed Hiei on the cheek. He took a step back and put a hand in his face where she had kissed him. There is shock written on his face.  
  
"I...I..must go." he said. He turned away. Then he turned back, a smirk on his face. "Wash that blood out of your outfit. It clashes." Then he was gone. Lorin smiled again. She thought she might see him again soon. Lorin turned and snuck into the house, so her parents wouldn't see the blood on her or her clothes.  
  
* * * *  
  
Hiei stormed into Koenma's office, with Kurama right behind him. He stopped before Koenma's desk.  
  
"What do you think you're doing?" Hiei snarled. Koenma looked up.  
  
"Whatever are you talking about, Hiei?" Koenma asked calmly.  
  
"You used Spirit Power to compel me to go on that date."  
  
"Yes. Yes I did. And I don't have to explain myself to you." Koenma responded. Hiei stared at Koenma for a while. Finally Koenma pointed to the screen behind Hiei. It showed Lorin. She was cleaning the wound on her arm and talking into a headset that transferred her words to her computer.  
  
"Well, then a little boy threw his ball into Hiei's cup. Hiei was soaked." Lorin giggled at the memory. "He has this, this third eye in the middle of his forehead. I wonder why he has it or where it came from. Ouch. This cut hurts. Anyway, there was this fight. Some stranger was attacking Hiei. I'm glad Hiei's alright. Hiei threw fire out of his hands and he's so fast. Most of the time I couldn't see him. I hope I can see him again. Despite the flames and stuff, I enjoyed myself. Hiei's very cute." She smiled. Lorin finished wrapping her arm and turned toward the computer.  
  
Suddenly the door to her room opened at several teenage girls rushed in and flopped on her bed. Lorin quickly pulled her sleeve down over the bandages. She turned to her friends.  
  
"Hey, what are you guys doing here?" she asked.  
  
"We want to hear about your date." They grinned. "So, that guy looked kinda cold. Well, come on, where did he take you? What ya do?" they asked one on top of the other. Lorin held up her hands to ward off the questions.  
  
"Ok, ok. One at a time. Yes, at first he's not the most open person I know." Her eyes lost focus for a moment and she gave a small smile. "We went to a movie, then stopped at a McDonalds after. Hiei acts all tough and cool, but he's really a sweetie." Lorin's friends gasped and giggled at that.  
  
"Really? He seemed kinda creepy at school." Lorin nodded. "Really. He really is a sweetheart....and kind." There was another round of giggles. Lorin stood up and turned off the computer. She reached into her closet and pulled out a wooden practice sword.  
  
"Come on. We'll talk as we walk. I have a class to get to." She slung the sword over her shoulder and all of them walked out of her room and out of the camera range.  
  
Hiei stood there staring at the blank screen. A sweetheart? He thought. Where in the world had she gotten that? Those other girls had it right. He was supposed to be creepy. And Cute???? Puppies were Cute. Hiei fumed. He turned back to Koenma and noticed that Kurama was fighting not to smile. Hiei glared at Kurama, who shrugged.  
  
"So?" he said Koenma.  
  
"So," Koenma said. "Can you name any other human girl who would have had that reaction to seeing a fight between two demons, one of which was her date for the evening. She didn't faint, she helped you. As I knew she would, which is why I did what I did." Koenma sat back in his chair satisfied with the explanation he had given. Hiei stared for another minute, then stalked out of the room. Kurama shrugged at Koenma and followed Hiei out. 


	2. The Second Date

Here's the second date.  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the YYH universe. Just my character Lorin.  
  
For the first two chapters about the dates, I borrowed the main ideas form another site, i.e. the going to the boardwalk and getting attacked. I filled them out and added other scenes. Here's the link. It's a lot of fun, you can go on secret dates with Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, and a few others. For whatever reason, it won't let me put in the link, so I'm adding spaces to see it that will work. w w w .w e b s p a w n e r . c o m / u s e r s / h i e i 1 / ***********************  
  
Lorin opened her front door on the way to school the next morning. She noticed a piece paper sticking out of the mail box. Frowning she opened the paper. It was from Hiei. He apologized for the last date and wanted to meet this weekend to go out again. He wanted to pick her up at her house at 6 Friday night. Lorin grinned and started walking to school. She met up with her friends and Shuichi on the way.  
  
"What are you smiling about?" her girlfriends wanted to know.  
  
"Hiei asked me out again." Lorin said, with a chuckle. Shuichi raised an eyebrow at that, but all her said was. "Congratulations." Lorin didn't have time to ask what he meant, since they arrived at school.  
  
* * * *  
  
Friday night came both too quickly and too slowly for Lorin. She had rushed home from practice today, since her teacher had kept them all late. She threw her practice sword into her closet and ran to take a quick shower. Tonight she decided to wear her hair up. She wore a navy blue, short sleeved shirt and black stretch pants. She put on a thin gold necklace and no make up. She wondered what tonight would look like. She walked out side to sit on a tree swing hanging in the front yard to wait for Hiei. As soon as she walked out the front door, Hiei dropped down from her roof, hands in his pockets. She turned to face him.  
  
"I'm taking you to the boardwalk." He said as he walked up next to her. He gave Lorin a small grin and started walking down the street. Lorin caught up to him and they walked in silence to the boardwalk. Lorin noticed that he was wearing an almost identical outfit as last time and his white headband was in place. The boardwalk was noisy and crowded. The two of them walk along the booths that had been set up. Though they don't say much as they walked, Lorin felt at ease just walking next to him. Lorin convinced Hiei to play one of the shooting games.  
  
As she's watched him, Lorin started to feel uneasy. She looked around and noticed a man staring at her. He grinned when he saw her looking at him. It wasn't a nice grin, more, Lorin wasn't sure what, evil maybe. He started to walk over to her. She couldn't take her eyes off him. She felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Hiei. Hiei wasn't looking at her, but at the man who had been staring at Lorin. The man faded back into the crowd. Hiei looked at her.  
  
"Are you alright?" he asked, his hand still on her shoulder. Lorin nodded.  
  
"I think so. He was just creepy."  
  
"Hmm." Hiei said. "Don't worry." Lorin remembered their fist date and felt reassured that Hiei would protect her. They turned away, to continue down the boardwalk. Suddenly the floorboards broke beneath Lorin and the world fell into darkness.  
  
* * * *  
  
Lorin drifted in a ocean of darkness. She was aware, she thought, but couldn't feel her body. It was completely black. There was no light, no sound. It felt like water, like she was floating. Lorin tried to remember what she had been doing or how she had gotten to this blackness. But, what if it had always been black? Could she remember something other than the darkness? Was there supposed to be light? How did she know what light was? These questions swirled around Lorin, but no answers presented themselves. Suddenly, something grabbed her foot. It pulled her deeper into the darkness, as Lorin pondered how she knew she had a foot.  
  
* * * *  
  
Lorin woke again as she coughed up water that had been in her lungs. Lorin realized that her hair was wet, but she was in dry clothes. She was so glad to be able to breathe, to feel warm. Lorin felt something around her and looked up into Hiei's face. He was holding her in his arms.  
  
"You survived. Impressive." Lorin blinked her eyes and looked around as Hiei set her on her feet. He kept one arm around her shoulders, the other touching her arm. The world looked hot. The sky was red, with black clouds and the ground was warmer than it should be. The trees seemed almost alive. Lorin looked down at her own clothes. She was wearing a long, white shirt with no sleeves and a black skirt.  
  
"I found those for you to wear, while you were in the Makai Lake, if you survived." Lorin looked behind her at a black lake. She couldn't see anything in the lake, not even a reflection. Hiei pulled her to the ground to rest for a minute.  
  
"I don't know yet who put you there." Hiei said. 'But I will.' The unspoken promise was clear to Lorin. Hiei handed her a black bladed Katana. "You may need this here." She gently pulled it out of it's sheath. It was a beautiful blade, perfectly balanced for her height. She tucked the sheath into the waistband of her skirt. After a few minutes, Hiei stood up. He looked down at her.  
  
"Ready?" he asked. She nodded and stood. They started walking. They hadn't gone very far, when a group of monsters attacked them. Lorin slashed at the one in front of her, twisting as she did, to be prepared for the next attack. The next one came at her from the right. Lorin realized she didn't have time to bring her katana around. She shifted her weight and gave the monster a side kick, just like she had learned in her martial arts class. A third monster came straight at Lorin, swinging a weapon of it's own. Lorin ducked underneath and stabbed the monster in the belly. It fell hard, catching Lorin's katana and pulling it out of her grip.  
  
Suddenly Hiei was next her. He killed a monster that had been charging her from behind. Hiei jumped away and another monster came at her from the left. She pulled her arm back and punched the creature in the face with all her strength. It fell to the ground and didn't move. Lorin looked around. Hiei was killing the last of the creatures. Lorin limped over to her katana and pulled it out of the dead body. It came free and was covered in blood. She wiped it on her skirt. She turned to find Hiei. He slowly walked over to her. He gave her a smile.  
  
"What?" she asked.  
  
"Red looks good on you now." Lorin looked down at her shirt. The white was soaked in red blood. Hiei, too, had blood all over him. Lorin put the katana back in it's sheath. Hiei picked her up and the landscape became a blur. Then they were at her doorstep. That must have been how he brought me home last time, too Lorin thought. He set her down on her doorstep.  
  
"What was that all about, Hiei?" she asked.  
  
"As I was about to kill the last one, he said he knew where my father was. He held up this pendent." Hiei showed it to her. Lorin traced the fire emblem etched into it. "I don't care about this. Even if it was real."  
  
He paused for a second. "You may have it." He reached up to put it around her neck. His face was very close to hers. Before he could take his arms down, Lorin grabbed him and kissed him. He jerked as she touched him, then relaxed and kissed her back. He slid one arm around her waist and the other held her head. They broke apart. Hiei brushed a few strands of hair away from her face. He grinned.  
  
"I will see you soon." he said and was gone. Lorin touched her lips with her fingers and gave a sigh of contentment. Then she turned and snuck inside so avoid her parents and the questions they would ask about the lateness of her date and the blood on her shirt.  
  
* * * *  
  
The next day Lorin stopped in the kitchen before heading up to her room to do her homework. There was a large Manila envelope on the table. It had her name written on it.  
  
"Mom?" She called. "Where'd this envelope come from?" Lorin picked it up. Her mother peeked her head in.  
  
"It was with the mail." Lorin frowned and took it upstairs with her. She set the rest of her homework on her desk and sat down on her bed to open the envelope. There was a folded up letter and a stack of about 20 sheets underneath. She opened the letter first. A smile lit her face. It was from Hiei.  
  
Lorin, Here is a full explanation of what happened on our dates. If you can accept it come to the tree in the park at 7pm. Hiei  
  
Accept it? What was he talking about? Lorin pulled out the other pages. It was written in different handwriting. It looked familiar, but she couldn't place it. Lorin read through the pages, fascinated. It talked about a place called Spirit World and the Makai Lands. It spoke of Spirit Power and the Spirit Detective. It explained demons and their hate for humans. It explained about Hiei and his Jagan Eye. Hiei was a demon, but working for the good guys. It explained about a Dark Tournament that was going to be held. It told her about her own Spirit Potential and Team Urameshi.  
  
Lorin sat back and sighed. That was a lot of information to process. She realized she wasn't scared or afraid. She wanted to learn about her own Spirit Power. Hiei may be a demon, but he wasn't evil. If he was, he wouldn't have protected her on their dates. She decided to go to the tree later. Lorin turned to her homework , after hiding the stack of paper in her closet.  
  
* * * *  
  
Lorin quickly walked to the park, her katana in one hand. She was nervous. This was the beginning of something totally new. She had felt this way once before, when her family had moved to Japan. She found the tree where she had met Hiei and waited. After a minute, Hiei came around the corner with a friend at his side. Lorin frowned as she recognized Shuichi .  
  
"Hello, Lorin," Shuichi said.  
  
"Hey, Shuichi . Hi, Hiei. I got you letter. You're gonna have to try harder if you want to get rid of me." Lorin didn't know how much to say in front of Shuichi . There she realized where she had seen that handwriting before. It was Shuichi 's writing.  
  
"You wrote that history." Lorin accused. Shuichi nodded.  
  
"Yes, And there is more. I'm not what I appear to be. " Shuichi launched into his story, telling her about Yoko Kurama and how he came to be living in a human body.  
  
"Well, that's interesting. I'm glad you told me." Kurama smiled.  
  
"So, this Dark Tournament. You want me to be on your team?" Lorin asked.  
  
"Yes." Hiei responded. "Kurama and I will train you." He paused. "If you want to." Lorin nodded.  
  
"Yes, I want to. I can come after school and on weekends." Hiei gave her a small grin.  
  
"Let's start now. I see you haven't figured out how to put that sword away, yet." He took it and held the handle against her left hand, the blade resting on her arm. It shifted and morphed into a long black glove. Lorin flexed her hand, staring at the glove.  
  
"WOW! Now, how do I get the blade back?" She looked at Hiei. He put her right hand next of her left as if she was drawing the sword from the sheath.  
  
"Now, pull." he commanded. Lorin pulled her hand as if she really was drawing the blade and felt the handle in her right hand. The blade slid free, the sheath in her left hand. Lorin laughed. This was amazing. She smiled at Hiei.  
  
"What's next?" she asked. Hiei grinned and he and Kurama started teaching her about her Spirit Power.  
  
Several hours later, she and Hiei were walking back to her house. She was exhausted, but satisfied. She had enjoyed the training, even though it had been tiring. She looked over at Hiei.  
  
"You're more withdrawn than normal. Are you alright, Hiei?" They were at her front door. He looked down.  
  
"My sister," he said at last. "I was returning from our last date. She had been attacked. The attacker left this and a note saying he'd be at the Tournament." He held up a ring with the same fire emblem that Lorin's pendent had. "Whoever he is, he keeps hurting those.....those I care about." He looked up at Lorin. She reached out a hand to touch his face.  
  
"We'll find him at the Tournament. I'll help however I can. Maybe your sister should come watch my training. Between, you, Kurama, and me she should be safe." Hiei put his hand over hers.  
  
"She's already at a safe place. We need to concentrate on your training." Lorin nodded. "Alright. I guess I'll see you after school tomorrow." Lorin turned to go inside. Hiei put a hand on her shoulder. She turned back to face him. He leaned closer and kissed her. Now it was her turn to be surprised. She relaxed and returned the kiss. She moved closer and slid her arms around his neck. He held her waist. They broke apart, grinning. Hiei held her for a moment. They heard a rustle form inside Lorin's house.  
  
"Lorin's kissing a B-o-o-o-y." Lorin's little sister called out in a sing song voice. Lorin blushed a little. Hiei grinned at her blush, then was gone. Lorin sighed and went inside. She owed her little sister a tickle.  
  
* * * *  
  
Lorin sank down into her seat with a grateful sigh. It was lunch. She could sleep through lunch. She was sore and bruised in both her physical muscles and her Spirit muscles. Kurama and Hiei had given her quite a workout. She let her head rest on her books and closed her eyes. She heard several thumps, but didn't care. If something was attacking her, Kurama was around. He would wake her.  
  
"Lorin? Are you alright?" He friend's voices floated through her sleep. Lorin struggled to come back to the world. She blink her eyes and raised her head.  
  
"What?" she asked. She noticed the worried looks on her friends' faces.  
  
"Are you alright?" they asked again.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine." Why wouldn't they just let her sleep? Kurama sat down next to her. He slid food from his tray to the top of her books. She stared at it as if it were something foreign.  
  
"Eat." He commanded. Lorin looked at the food for a minute, then slowly started to eat.  
  
"Lorin, what's going on?" her friends persisted.  
  
"I'm fine. really. I've just had a lot to do the past three and a half months. It'll all be over soon. You'll see." Lorin finished her food and sank back down into sleep. Lorin heard her friends protest, then Kurama's voice calming them. She slept through lunch, her mind swirling with attacks, defenses, and Spirit Techniques. 


	3. Starting the Tournament, Round 1 and 2

I changed the Third Chapter a great Deal. The ideas are the same, as is the events that occur. What I did was change Hiei. I have been trying to as accurate as possible with Hiei. The previous version was pointed out to me as too fluffy. I agree. For those of you who like a fluffy Hiei, I am planning to re-post this story with the Fluff. Please Review.  
  
Note: All Japanese words I use will be translated at the bottom of each chapter.  
  
Note: single quotes(' ') are thinking, usually telepathy. Double quotes( " ") are speech  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the YYH universe. Just my character Lorin.  
  
***********************  
  
Lorin jogged through the woods, her pack slung across her back. This was it. She was heading to meet the others and head for the Tournament. She gripped her fire pendent, missing Hiei already. They had been walking home last night. He had told her that if the other teams thought there was more than partnership between them, it would be seen as a weakness for both of them. So they agreed to act as just comrades in public.  
  
Hiei had been withdrawn, more than usual. Lorin wondered if she had done something. He hadn't smiled all night and his eyes had never lost their hard look. Maybe she had just imagined that their relationship could be more than fighting partners. Maybe Hiei had had other reasons for entering the Drawing and taking her on those dates. Maybe he just wanted to test her skill, to see if she could be trained to be a fighter for their Team.  
  
But he had kissed her. In those moments, Lorin was certain that he felt something for her. But other times, she wasn't so sure. Lorin had placed all her memories of Hiei and her feelings in the pendent. She couldn't allow her emotions to threaten their chances at the Tournament. She could feel them by touching the crystal. Lorin approached the clearing, pulling the hood of her cloak up so her face would be covered. She looked around for Hiei and Kurama. They were standing next to two others. That must be Yusuke and Kuwabara. She thought. She walked up to them.  
  
"Hiei. Kurama." All four of them turned at her voice. Hiei grunted, but said nothing. Kurama gave her a smile and introduced Yusuke and Kuwabara. She nodded to them, then stood next to Hiei.  
  
Here we go. She though to Hiei.  
  
Yes. He answered. Ready? She nodded. They boarded the boat with the other teams heading for the Dark Tournament.  
  
* * * *  
  
Lorin watched as Hiei lightly leaped onto the ring. He was ready. She reached up to touch the veil she had put over her face. Bad enough she was human, but she was a girl too. She would fight as much as possible with her face covered. It would throw off the demons after she revealed herself. They would have a hard time reconciling a weak, human girl with the power of her attacks. It would give her another edge and she needed all she could get. The rest of her team, well at this point that was Kuwabara, didn't know she was a girl. Yusuke still slept.  
  
The fight started and Hiei dodged all the attacks thrown at him. Zeru glowed red and launched another attack at Hiei. This time Hiei couldn't dodge and was engulfed by a ball of flame. Lorin started to run forward. If Hiei survived that, she would finish the match and kill Zeru. A hand grabbed her shoulder, hard. She looked over into the face of Kurama. He shook his head once. Lorin silently protested. Kurama shook his head again and tightened his grip on her shoulder. The pain stopped her reckless flight to Hiei's side. She and Kurama watched in silence for any sign of Hiei. Kurama knew how this was torturing her.  
  
Hiei appeared from the fire and Lorin want limp in relief. Kurama shifted his grip to keep her standing. After a minute, Lorin was able to support herself, but Kurama kept a hand on her shoulder. She and Kurama both gasped as Hiei called upon his Jagan Eye and used Dragon of the Darkness Flame attack. Lorin stared, rooted to the spot as the attack unfolded. When it was all over, Lorin saw Hiei's right arm. It was burned black.  
  
Again she started to run to him, her hand tingling to Heal him. Again Kurama tightened his grip on her. She watched Hiei said something to the announcer and shoved his hands into his pockets. Lorin winced. That had to hurt. Hiei jumped off the ring and over to Kurama and Lorin. He gave a small smile at the sight of Kurama digging his nails into Lorin to keep her from moving.  
  
You weren't worried about me, where you? he thought to her, chuckling darkly. She glared at him.  
  
Of course I was! she yelled back. She projected worry and fear. Not fear of him, fear for him. He watched as Lorin shook off Kurama's grip and carefully walked over to Yusuke. She leaned down as if to check on him. She slid down to sit on the grass and Hiei saw a shudder go through her body.  
  
She grabbed for something under her shirt and Hiei guessed it was the pendent he had given her. He didn't understand why the pendent was important to her. Then she was still, staring at the ground. Hiei turned back to the ring, next to Kurama, to watch the next match.  
  
* * * *  
  
Lorin silently followed the rest of her team back to their suites. The first round was finished, but she hadn't needed to fight. She had all of her Spirit Energy and would try to heal Hiei and the others. Her heart cried out as she thought of him and the burns on his right arm. They made it back without incident. Kuwabara and Yusuke flopped on the couches in the front. Hiei silently stalked into his room.  
  
Lorin felt a wave of helplessness as she watched him slam the door. She stuck out at the nearest object, which happened to be crystal vase, and blew it into a million pieces. Yusuke and Kuwabara jumped up, startled. Lorin felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Kurama standing there, compassion and understanding in his eyes.  
  
I know you want to Heal Hiei he spoke into her mind. Heal us first, then it won't be out of place if anyone's watching, which I doubt. Then go find Hiei. His room should be safe for you two to talk. Behind her veil, Lorin felt a single tear fall down her face. Kurama always knew what to say. That's why he was her best friend. She nodded.  
  
"Kurama," she said aloud, "I'm going to make my rounds and start with you. I know you have a cut on your cheek and across you stomach, anywhere else? And don't lie to me." She warned. Kurama gave her a smile.  
  
"Of course not," he said. "Those are my only wounds other than some bruises." Lorin nodded and reached out a hand to his face. This worked easier if she could touch the injury. Blue energy gathered at her fingers and she gently moved them across the wound. It glowed blue for a moment, then healed as if there had never been a cut in the first place.  
  
She moved her hand to his stomach and the glow started again. She saw him close his eyes and sigh in relief as the pain went away. She could sense that the only other injures he had were in fact bruises and a loss of Spirit Power. She finished and moved over to Kuwabara. She knew he had been beaten badly in his fight. She reached out her hand and touched his chest. He leapt back.  
  
"Hey, what are you doing?" He protested, holding his hands in front of him. Lorin stared at him for a moment, which made him very nervous.  
  
"I'm going to Heal you, Kuwabara. It won't hurt, I promise." She reassured him. She reached her hand to touch his chest again. She saw Kuwabara look over her shoulder and nod. He was tense, but let her touch him.  
  
She could feel his injures. He had cracked most of his ribs and had torn several muscles. He was in a lot of pain, but had said nothing. Lorin fed her Spirit Energy into him and eased the pain. She felt him relax.  
  
"Hey, that feels good." he said surprised. Lorin chuckled and finished her work. Kuwabara lounged on a couch, looking like he was about to take a nap. She moved to Yusuke. He glared at her defiantly.  
  
"I'm fine." he said. "I don't need to be healed." Lorin shook her head. She grabbed Yusuke's shoulder and pushed him back onto the couch. He fell back as if she had hit him hard. He glared up at her, but didn't protest as she moved to touch him. He was worse than Kuwabara. It was a good thing he had a hard head. As she started to feed Yusuke her energy he jumped back.  
  
"Hey, that tickles!!" Lorin chuckled again.  
  
"Hold still." she commanded. She again fed him her energy. As the pain left him, he closed his eyes and leaned back on the couch. She heard a small groan of relief as her Healing power swept over him.  
  
"You're right, it does feel good." Yusuke said, drowsily. Lorin pushed him down into sleep. Soon, Yusuke was whole again and sleeping to rebuild his Spirit Energy. Lorin found a pillow and put it under his head and threw a blanket over him.  
  
"Sleep well, Spirit Detective." she said. She turned to Kurama who was sitting in a chair, sipping a drink.  
  
"I'm going to check on Hiei." she said, blandly. Kurama nodded, but said nothing. Lorin knock on Hiei's door, then walked in. He was standing in front of the window, hands in his pockets. Lorin smiled to see that he hadn't found another shirt yet.  
  
"Hiei," she said quietly. He turned to face her. She walked over to him and touched his face, to reassure herself that he was still alive. He flinched at the touch, but didn't move away.  
  
"Hiei, let me help you?" Lorin asked, forcing back tears. He was distant. Maybe she had been right. She probably meant nothing to him. He stared at her for a while, then carefully showed her his hand. Lorin winced.  
  
"If Zeru wasn't dead already, I would kill him," she whispered, not realizing she spoke aloud. Hiei jerked his head up to stare at her again. Why had she said that? Lorin reached inside for every ounce of her Spirit Energy and fed it into his hand. She threw all of her Will into Healing him. The burns lessened a little and Lorin knew she had taken away the pain for a while, but it wouldn't heal. She looked up at Hiei.  
  
"I can take away the pain," she said, tears in her voice. "But it won't heal. It's like something is absorbing my Energy before it can get to the wound." She was silent for a moment and Hiei could see her shoulders starting to shake.  
  
"I'm sorry, Hiei." she said crying. She could hold back her tears no longer. Tears for the pain of his obvious rejection, Tears for the failure to Heal him, Tears for the hopelessness and loneliness she felt. Hiei didn't know what to do with the crying girl in front of him. She had always been confident and sure. Crying was for the weak, wasn't it?  
  
He felt a surge of anger at whoever had caused her to cry! What, in the three worlds, was that? It's not like she meant anything to him. Or did she? No, she was just a fighting partner. Koenma had forced him into those 'dates'. At least the first one. Kurama had pressured him into the second and third. Hadn't he? Or had Hiei allowed himself to be pressured? This was pointless. He had to get her to stop crying. But how? She had responded to his touch before, on their 'dates'. He hesitantly touched her shoulder.  
  
Her head jerked up, eyes red from the tears. She seemed to pull herself together. The tears stopped, though the stains of pervious tears was still on her face. She blinked and quickly wiped them away.  
  
"Gomen, Hiei. You need to rest." she stood and left hurried out the door. She closed her eyes for a moment.  
  
'What a weak fool he must think I am.' she thought. She shook her head and saw Kurama watching her worriedly. She gave him a brave smile. He wrapped his arms around her, trying to comfort. He didn't know what had gone on in Hiei's room, but his Otomodati was hurting and he had to do whatever he could to help.  
  
"Hiei doesn't mean to be cruel." he told her, as she pulled away from him. She looked so sad and lonely.  
  
"Hiei is just Hiei. I know that." Lorin looked like she was going to say more, but stopped. She shook her head again. "Go, rest. I'll keep watch out here. You need some sleep." He smiled reassuringly and turned to his own room. Lorin grabbed a book from her room and a snack from the table and settled into a chair as her Teammates slept.  
  
* * * * Lorin stood next to Kurama as they prepared to watch the next fight. It was the first time she would see the dreaded Toguro Brothers. She had hear all about them last night from her teammates, but had never actually seen them. Lorin shifted as her mind wandered. She was worried about Hiei. He had left early this morning, before anyone else was up.  
  
Lorin decided that she would watch part of this match with Kurama, then go find Hiei. She had to know he was safe, even if he didn't want her around. Lorin was brought back to the present by the roar of the crowd. A lone figure walked out to meet the other team. It was Toguro the Younger. It was him that Yusuke and Kuwabara was terrified of. The match stared, with Toguro fighting all five of the opponents at the same time by himself.  
  
The battle was over in a few minutes. It was clear that Toguro hadn't used all of his power. Lorin stood there stunned. She matched what she had just seen, with what she knew of Yusuke's power and winced.  
  
"This is not good," she said to Kurama.  
  
"No, it isn't," he replied. Lorin paused for a moment.  
  
"Do you think that Yusuke would let someone else fight Toguro? I mean, you or Hiei or even me. I have to learn Kuwabara and Yusuke's skills, but Between my own techniques and the ones you have taught me, I have a good chance to some damage." Kurama sighed.  
  
"I doubt Yusuke can be convinced to give up that fight. They have to prove one way or another who is stronger."  
  
"I understand, I guess. I'm going to find Hiei, to make sure he's alright. I'll see you back in our rooms, Kurama." He nodded as she left, bent on her mission to find Hiei.  
  
* * * *  
  
Lorin stood with Yusuke and Kuwabara on the field. They had just agreed to a three on three match with the opposite team. It worried Lorin a lot that Kurama and Hiei were missing. Yusuke was right, they wouldn't have left them to fight on their own, if they could help it.  
  
The fight began and Lorin sped into motion. She gathered her Spirit Energy into her hand and struck out at one of the enemy. She hit his arm, then bounced away. She heard the crowd boo and the announcer state that obviously the Masked Fighter's attack wasn't strong enough. Lorin grinned behind her veil. She knew it looked as if she missed, but she hadn't. She had done what she had intended to do, feed him some of her Spirit Energy. One of her attacks was to feed an enemy Spirit Energy until he blew up.  
  
Lorin twisted to attack again, feeding more of her energy into another enemy. She dodged again and pushed Yusuke and Kuwabara out of them way of an oncoming attack. The fight went on and on. All Lorin required was time to complete her Attack and that Yusuke and Kuwabara kept themselves alive. One attack they weren't fast enough to dodge.  
  
Lorin leapt and took the blow for them. She was thrown out of the ring and into the side wall. She was knocked out for a few moments. When she came to, she saw Yusuke and Kuwabara running for their lives. She leapt back into the ring and blocked the blow. Lorin realized that her veil had been shredded and her face was revealed. She moved back to attack, filling the enemies with Spirit Power.  
  
Finally they were ready. One more small speck of Spirit Energy was all it would take to blow up all three of them. Lorin attempted to hit them, but since a lot of her energy was in them, she wasn't fast enough. Lorin changed tactics and stood between them and her teammates. She called on her remaining power.  
  
"Jagan Curse Ties." she called and threw the energy at the three. A sharp pain throbbed in the middle of her forehead. She blinked and saw that the three were trapped in bands of blue and red energy. They struggled, but couldn't move. Lorin slowly walked closer.  
  
"Well, this is unexpected," the announcer called. "The young woman has called upon the power of the Jagan, but she doesn't have a Jagan. Wait, I see a faint outline on her forehead. It looks like a phantom Jagan Eye." Lorin blinked at that. That was probably what the sharp pain on her forehead was.  
  
She raised her hands and the three floated up in the air. Lorin gathered the required energy in her finger tips, ready to send the three into the afterlife, when something flew into the arena. Then a much larger something. When the dust cleared, Lorin saw a robot of some kind and Kurama and Hiei. Relief filled Lorin as she saw Hiei alive and well. Kurama was quick to explain that the men Lorin was holding were completely innocent.  
  
"Then I can't kill them, can I?" Lorin asked, straining with the effort to continue to hold them in the air. Kurama shook his head. Lorin sighed.  
  
"Ya know, I wish you two could have told me this earlier. If you had been 30 seconds later, they would already be dead. As it is, I want my Energy back." Lorin jerked her hands back as if pulling sharply on a rope. Three streams of blue energy poured from M-1, M-2, and M-3. They slumped to the ground as Lorin broke her Curse Ties. All the energy flowed into Lorin and she glowed for a moment. Then the power sank beneath her skin. She turned to Kurama and Hiei.  
  
"I don't suppose you two have any bright ideas?" she asked. Hiei didn't respond and Kurama shook his head.  
  
"Great," Lorin muttered and turned back to the fight. The three in the ring tried to come up with something to stop these guys. Kuwabara refused to run and the three hit him out of the ring. Lorin ran to his side. They had purposely missed his vital areas. He would live. Lorin turned back to the ring.  
  
Then she had an idea. What if she blew up the things controlling them? Her Spirit Energy would flow into every part of the creature she was filling. She would keep a tight reign on the explosions and maybe she could just remove the controlling things. She leapt into the ring to start her attack. She was almost done, when Yusuke broke through the mental barrier that had kept him form his full potential.  
  
He prepared to fire his Spirit Gun. Lorin fed them the last of the energy , then leapt and knocked Yusuke's blast aside. They both fell back.  
  
"What are you doing???" Yusuke yelled. Lorin groaned from the impact. She ignored Yusuke and got to her feet.  
  
"I'm going to try to save you." she said to the humans hidden deep within themselves. "If I fail, I'm sorry." Lorin threw the last of the Spirit Energy at the controlling things and followed them with her mind. She stretched herself into three minds and watched the explosions from the inside, trying to contain the damage.  
  
Then she was thrown back into her own body with a rush of her Spirit Power. She fell back, stunned. She could see that the controlling things had fallen off and were in pieces. The humans were bleeding, but the looked as if they were waking up. Then Lorin was assaulted by a darkness, a malice. It was binding itself to her Spirit Energy and trying to work it's way into her mind. She fought, erecting walls. It hurt. She groaned.  
  
Lorin was aware of another fight, this one against the evil doctor. All her teammates were fighting. She saw a shadow fall over her and managed to turn her head to see the announcer.  
  
"Well, the Masked fighter is still alive, but in a lot of pain," she called. Lorin wanted to punch her in the face. Instead she screamed as the malice battled past her walls. She clawed at it, pushing it back. She felt a new pain in the center of her forehead and the malice started to fade. Lorin renewed her attack and soon the malice was gone completely. The pain on her forehead was still there.  
  
"A phantom Jagan Eye has again appeared on the Masked Fighter's forehead. But why?" The announcer called. Lorin frowned. A phantom Jagan Eye?? It had sort of made sense for that to appear when she had called upon one of Hiei's Jagan attacks, but she hadn't called it. Why had it come? She knew that it had helped her fight back the malice in her head.  
  
Lorin focused on the present and moved her head to see the fight. Lorin rolled on her stomach and got to her knees, slowly, too slowly. She had used too much of the Spirit Energy she had gotten back from her last attack, fighting for her own mind. She slowly made it to her feet. She carefully walked toward their side of the field, trying to show no signs of weakness.  
  
Suddenly Kurama was next to her ready to support her if needed. He kept pace with her as she carefully made her way off the field. She sat down on the grass, trying to pull herself together. She looked up for Hiei. He was standing a little a part from the others. He looked over at her. Lorin saw a brief flash of concern and worry, then it was gone, replaced by Hiei's normal cold stare. He looked away. Had she imagined it? She didn't know. She took a sip of water that someone had handed to her and waited for the next round.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
Otomodati- best friend  
  
Gomen- Sorry 


	4. Tournament, Round 3, Team Masho

I am so sorry that I haven't updated anything in a long time. I was buying the semi-finals and finals. And I need to quote a lot from them, so it's slow coming. I haven't abandoned this story. This chapter needed a little re-working in the end, so I'm reposting. I will post the time between Team Masho and Semi-finals in the next day or so. Please review.  
  
Note: All Japanese words I use will be translated at the bottom of each chapter.  
  
Note: single quotes(' ') are thinking, usually telepathy. Double quotes( " ") are speech  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the YYH universe. Just my character Lorin.  
  
Team Urameshi advanced to the third round, but that meant they had to fight again, right now. Lorin knew that she wouldn't be the first fighter up, but she would fight. Kuwabara was in no shape to fight, so they were already down a fighter. The Loudspeaker came to life.  
  
"Since Team Urameshi is going to fight back to back, there is some concern as to the health of the fighters. All fighters will report to the Medical Tent for examination." Lorin looked at the others. This was strange. A tent appeared on the field and a beautiful woman came over to them. She looked over each of them. She pointed to Lorin and Hiei.  
  
"Would you two please come with me?" she asked. Lorin shook her head and Hiei didn't move.  
  
"We're not going anywhere." Hiei stated. The woman shook her head.  
  
"I'm afraid you must, or your team will be disqualified right now. Perhaps I can help you." Hiei glared at her.  
  
"I don't go where people tell me to." he snarled.  
  
"Hiei," Lorin said quietly. "Maybe we'd better." Hiei looked at her and grunted, but followed Lorin and the woman over. As soon as they entered the tent, a force field went up, trapping them inside. They both rushed to the edge of the tent.  
  
"What's this?" Hiei demanded. The woman chuckled and revealed herself to be a demon. The loudspeaker spoke again.  
  
"It has been determined that Hiei and the Masked Fighter are unable to fight in the next round and will stay with the nurse until better." Lorin reached out and touched the Force Field. It was powerful, very powerful. The woman smirked at her.  
  
"You cannot break through. Just sit down and rest." Lorin felt energy snake around her and pull her into a chair. She struggled against it, but failed to free herself. She stopped struggling and just rested, exhausted. She saw Hiei was trapped as she was, in a chair next to her.  
  
This isn't good. That leaves Kurama and Yusuke against all five. Kuwabara can't fight. She thought. She suddenly heard Hiei's voice in her head. She looked at him, surprise overcoming her anger. He rarely spoke into her mind. This was the third time since the beginning of the Tournament.  
  
I know, but there is nothing we can do at the moment. We have to recover our energy, then we can break out and punish those who would imprison us. Hiei's mind-voice was thick with a cold fury. Lorin was furious herself. They hadn't even wanted to be in this Tournament, but had been forced into it. They had already gotten farther than any demon thought they would. Now they had to cheat to try to defeat them. If Kurama could handle three of them, then Yusuke should be able to take out the last two. But could Kurama do it? She had every confidence in her Otomodati, but to fight three in a row without a break was asking a lot.  
  
Lorin saw him step into the ring. This was Team Masho. The first fighter revealed himself and the fight began. Lorin watched in stony silence as Gama bound Kurama physically, then bound his Spirit Energy into his blood. Lorin could almost feel his pain. Kurama won the match by summoning his Rose Whip and having it caught up in his hair. It was a lucky move. Lorin watched to see the bonds fade as Gama died.  
  
The next fighter stepped into the ring. The screen said his name was Touya. The announcer said that he was a master of Ice. Lorin watched in horror as the bonds did not fade and Touya started his attack. Kurama tried to dodge Touya's Shards Of Winter attack, but was hit. He was bleeding freely. Then he did the strangest thing. He pulled open his shirt and smeared blood all over his chest. Lorin frowned. What was he trying to do? Then it hit her. His Spirit Energy was trapped within his blood. The more he bled the more he could reach his Energy. The fight continued, Kurama getting weaker and weaker. Suddenly he stretched his hand out and vines streamed from his arms. They attacked Touya, defeated him. Kurama's hands fell to his side and he just stood there eyes closed.  
  
"A death seed." Lorin whispered. "planted in his own blood." She frowned as he just stood there. He next fighter came into the ring, a big brute named Bakken. Still Kurama didn't move. Lorin saw Yusuke yelling at the Announcer, but the fight started. Bakken just pounded Kurama, who made no move to fight back. Lorin realized he was unconscious. Her hands clenched. Beating up a defenseless, unconscious man was the lowest thing you could do. She stood helpless, watching. She felt Hiei's anger boiling. Finally Kurama was knocked out of the ring and a ten count was called.  
  
Yusuke leapt into the ring, fury plain on his face. He had no mercy for Bakken and Bakken was no match for Yusuke. Yusuke broke most of the bones in Bakken's body and then slammed him into the side wall. He lay there, dead. The next fighter was a Wind Master, named Jin. That fight was a little longer, but Yusuke won that one too.  
  
Part way through the fight, Lorin realized that her powers had been returning. She glanced at Hiei and saw that he had realized the same thing about his own powers. He gave her a grin that promised much pain and blood from their enemies. Last, was the leader, Risho. Lorin groaned as it was announced that Yusuke was disqualified from fighting.  
  
"It's over." she whispered to herself. Hiei glanced at her, but said nothing. To Lorin's complete shock, Kuwabara stepped into the ring. He was holding his arm over his ribs. He was in no shape to fight. Lorin reached out to touch the barrier. If she could get through, she could heal him of the wounds. The shield flared and bit her fingers.  
  
"K'so!!!" she exclaimed as she sucked on her fingers. Fine, that wouldn't work, but what about her thoughts? She carefully touched the force field with her mind and passed easily though it. Hiei turned to watch her, surprised. She touched Kuwabara's mind. She felt the pain of the wounds. She took the pain as her own. She retreated to her mind. That was all she could do for him.  
  
Beads of sweat dotted her forehead. Broken ribs HURT!!!! Hiei raised an eyebrow at her and turned back to the fight. In the end, Kuwabara was victorious, not killing Risho, but defeating him. She and Hiei were released and they moved to join their teammates.  
  
Lorin paused next to Risho. He was still awake, but unable to move. Lorin let her fury overtake her. She slid her katana out of its sheath and pressed it against Risho's neck.  
  
"I cannot stand cheaters!" she hissed and plunged the blade into Risho. Blood sprayed everywhere, all over her and the ground around her. She pulled the blade free and joined the others. Hiei had been watching her, but turned to look at Kurama as she approached. Did he think she had done something wrong? She sighed and helped Kurama stand to walk back to their rooms.  
  
K'so- shortened version of kuso, which means damn 


	5. The Day of Rest

I am so sorry that I haven't updated anything in a long time. Here is the Day of Rest between Team Masho and the Semis. This is kinda long. Enjoy. Please review.  
  
Note: All Japanese words I use will be translated at the bottom of each chapter.  
  
Note: single quotes(' ') are thinking, usually telepathy. Double quotes( " ") are speech  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the YYH universe. Just my character Lorin.

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Lorin quietly closed her bedroom door behind her. The suite was silent, she wondered where the others were. They were all supposed to be up to watch the other round. This round would determine who they were fighting in the Semi-finals. She thought she heard Yusuke stirring as she passed his door. Lorin grabbed some breakfast and left.  
  
It was a fairly quick trip to the stadium. She filed in with the other fans, making sure her katana was securely with her. She blinked as she entered the stadium and looked around. Off to her left, she saw a familiar head of red hair and a saw Hiei with him.  
  
They hadn't noticed her, but that was alright. She didn't mind being alone, most of the time she didn't really feel apart of this team, anyway. She was so much weaker than the others and less experienced. Let them have some time with the true Team. The crowd roared as the fighters entered the arena. This fight was over in just a few minutes. This team was good, very good. Her team would have a challenge to beat them.  
  
Lorin felt a familiar presence and saw Yusuke and Kuwabara run up to Kurama and Hiei. She chuckled, they were too late and had missed the fight. They all talked for a moment, then Lorin felt a surge of annoyance from Hiei and amusement from Kurama. She wondered what was going on over there. Kuwabara asked something and pointed at her. All the others turned. She smiled and raised a hand to acknowledge them. Kurama motioned for her to come over.  
  
She was going to shake her head, but something else caught her attention. Team Toguro stood across from her team. She was halfway between. Silence filled the stadium for a moment. Then the crowd started chanting, "Toguro!" The Younger Toguro pointed a finger at Yusuke, then himself, grinned. Yusuke motioned back to him. She could see Toguro smirk and they left. Her team left as well. She exited the stadium, she had seen what she had wanted to.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------  
  
Once back in the rooms, Lorin found a mug and mixed herself some hot chocolate. She moved to the window, sitting on the sill and thinking. Risho. She had killed him. It was her first kill. She hadn't fought in the first round, hadn't killed in the second. Lorin had thought she was prepared for killing in the Tournament, but maybe she wasn't. Maybe if she had fought and killed Risho, it would be different. But he had been defenseless. He couldn't have hurt her or her teammates any more, but she had killed him anyway. What did that make her?  
  
Lorin was so lost in thought that she didn't hear Hiei come back from the stadium by himself. He looked over at her, guilt and shame clear on her face. What was she feeling guilty about? Hiei thought for a moment. Then it came to him. Risho. As far as he knew Lorin had never killed before. He walked over to her and waited for her to acknowledge him. When she didn't he spoke.  
  
"He's not worth it." he said. Lorin flinched and turned to him. She hadn't even heard him come up. She blinked.  
  
"What?" she asked, confused.  
  
"Risho." Hiei continued, "Risho isn't worth your compassion or guilt."  
  
Hiei turned away and moved toward the kitchen. Lorin followed him with her eyes. She thought about what he had said. Isn't worth it? Risho was a cheater, dishonorable. He attacked his own teammates. He knew he couldn't beat her team face on, so had done a cowardly thing and cheated. Maybe Hiei was right. Maybe Risho wasn't worth feeling guilty about.  
  
Lorin followed Hiei over to the kitchen and rinsed out her empty mug. She saw that Hiei was eating a sandwich. Lorin grabbed some grapes from the refrigerator and joined him at the table. They didn't say anything as they ate, though Lorin was very aware of Hiei. Finally, he stood and returned to his room. He came back a moment later, his katana in one hand.  
  
"Are you going to train today?" Lorin asked. He stopped and looked at her. He nodded. Lorin swallowed, nervous.  
  
"Can I train with you?" she asked, rushing the words a little, trying to get them all out before she lost her nerve. Hiei was quiet for a moment. Lorin was sure he would say no. She wasn't strong enough anymore to be his equal. It was clear that he had found more skills and powers during the Tournament. She was still at the same level that she had been at the beginning.  
  
"Yes." Hiei said. Lorin blinked. Did he just say yes? He was going to let her train with him? He shifted a little.  
  
"Well, if you're just going to stand there, I'm leaving." he bit out. Lorin shook her head and rushed to the window sill to grab her katana. She hurried back to the kitchen, certain that Hiei had left without her. He was standing right where she left him, a smirk on his face. Then he turned and walked out the door.  
  
They spent the rest of the morning and most of the afternoon training near a lake. Lorin was amazed that she could still keep up with Hiei. They used katanas, bare hands, defensive techniques, as well as some stronger attacks. Hiei showed Lorin how to summon a Dragon, though the effort of doing so without a Jagan was almost too much. He taught her several other Darkness attacks, too. These were easier for her, but less powerful.  
  
Though they hadn't eaten much for lunch, neither of them noticed as the day got closer and closer to dinner. They had returned to hand to hand fighting, when Hiei flipped Lorin over and into the water. Lorin submerged and came up laughing. Hiei stood on the bank, watching her, a frown on his face. Lorin shook the water out of her eyes and looked at Hiei, still chuckling. She held out a hand.  
  
"Going to help me up?" she asked, an odd tone in her voice. Hiei looked at her hand for a moment. Why was she asking for his help? Surely she could get out of the water on her own. Hiei reached down and took her hand. Immediately, she tightened her grip and pulled. Hiei went flying over her head and into the water.  
  
When he came up, his face with filled with fury, shock, and betrayal. Lorin just laughed. She didn't act as though she had betrayed him. He forced himself to calm down a little. He studied her, unaware than confusion was written all over his face. Lorin chuckled and swept her arm across the water, sending a wave at Hiei, soaking him again. Hiei just stood there, dripping. Lorin shook her head and splashed him a few more times. Soon, she realized that he needed a little direction and encouragement. She raised an eyebrow.  
  
"What, aren't you going to fight back?" she teased. Fight? Hiei understood fighting. This must be some Ningen training. Lorin could see understanding flash on Hiei's face. He sent a wave of water back to her. This was a strange way to fight, but he would still win, now that he understood the rules. Lorin laughed and the two of them continued their water fight for another half hour.  
  
Finally, Lorin gave up. She dragged herself up out of the water.  
  
"You win, Hiei." she said, breathless, "I surrender." Hiei smirked and joined her out of the water.  
  
Lorin flopped down on the grass, arms out stretched, eyes closed. She sighed, full of contentment and happiness. She had just spent half the morning and most of the afternoon alone with Hiei. While most girls back at school would have sneered that she had spent that much time with him and not done anything 'good' like kissing, she would rather have spent the day as she had, then kiss him all day.  
  
She wasn't saying that she didn't want Hiei to kiss her, she spent a great deal of time remembering the kisses he had given her on their dates, but she knew Hiei better now. He didn't like touch, any touch. She could understand why. Kurama had told her all about Hiei's past, being a Forbidden Child and everything. If Hiei kissed her again, it would be because he wanted to. But right now, she was lying on the grass, sun in her face, with Hiei next to her. She was perfectly content.  
  
Hiei, too, had stretched out on the grass. He tucked his hands behind his head and stared into the sky. He heard Lorin sigh in contentment. She was content? Here? With him? No, that was as stupid thought, she was probably thinking about something else, like Kurama. He was her best friend after all. But the word content had started bouncing around inside his head.  
  
Content, he was content right now. At least that's what he thought this feeling was. He was not angry, something that didn't happen often. Oh, maybe he didn't always show his anger, but it was always there, a cold ball deep inside him. But right now, it was gone, all of it. He didn't want anything to change, everything was perfect the way it was. Wait a minute, what nonsense was he thinking? This was pointless. Anger was his only friend, the only thing that stayed with him. Yes, he was being foolish, thinking like that. He felt a finger brush his arm and heard a giggle.  
  
"Gomen, Hiei. I didn't mean to touch you." Lorin said. He grunted. Silence came again. Hiei's thoughts were back to Lorin. He thought about their first dates. Even though he had been pretty much forced into both of them, he realized that he had enjoyed them.  
  
He was still surprised at how easily she had accepted being attacked and helped him. Ningen were supposed to run screaming, but Lorin hadn't. He remembered how she had dared to kiss him at the end of the first date. He had been shocked, and had instinctively kissed her back. The other kisses had been instinctive too. Hiei turned his head and looked at Lorin. She still had her eyes closed, her hair plastered to her face. Hiei realized he was staring at her mouth, and a desire to kiss her came over him.  
  
'No, she won't want to kiss me. I'm not kind or nice, like Kurama is. She probably thinks I hate her.' But the desire didn't fade or leave him alone. Instead it got stronger. He shifted, so he was leaning on one elbow, facing her. She gave no indication that she heard him move. He reached his hand out across the distance between them, pausing halfway, fighting with himself at the foolishness of it all. He was the Forbidden Child. He wasn't able to know love or be loved. Wait, when did he decide that he loved Lorin? Of course he didn't! That was a Ningen emotion. Did he think she loved him?  
  
'No, Baka, we already decided that. You aren't nice or kind to her. She probably hates you, remember or at least thinks you hate her.' But he had to try, even if she attacked him. He had to know. His hand finished it's journey and brushed some of the plastered hair from her face, so he could see her better. Her eyes flew open, startled. She looked over at him, confused. She shifted, mimicking him, leaning on an elbow. She waited.  
  
Her face was curious, calm. She wasn't defensive or wary at all, just waiting to see what he would do next. Hiei realized he was staring at her mouth again. He gathered whatever courage he had, leaned over and kissed her. Hiei was overwhelmed. This felt so right, he didn't want it to end. She tasted so good, just as he remembered. But wait, did she want him to be kissing her? He broke off, confused. He didn't want her mad at him, even if he never got to kiss her again.  
  
She looked at him a little confused herself. Why had he pulled away? It looked like he was struggling with himself. But he had kissed her. She had been hoping that he would. He was searching her face. Lorin realized that he was worried, probably about what she thought about him kissing her. She smiled. A hesitant, small smile appeared on his face.  
  
He looked so scared and vulnerable, though he would probably kill her if she ever said anything about it. She reached up with her free hand and touched his cheek. He flinched. Lorin started to pull her hand away, hurt in her eyes. Hiei saw her pulling away and fear filled him. He grabbed her hand, holding on for dear life.  
  
"No," he whispered. He looked like he was going to say more, when he glanced beyond her and let out a swear.  
  
"K'so! Baka!" Lorin twisted to see what Hiei was swearing at, her hand coming free of his grip. She saw Kuwabara jogging toward them. Lorin turned back to Hiei, eyes closed and she sighed in annoyance. She muttered her own nasty words at Kuwabara's timing and presence. Hiei chuckled. Lorin's eyes flew open and she quickly brushed her fingers over Hiei's face, this time not pulling away when he flinched at first contact.  
  
"What'cha guys doing? You fall in the lake or something?" Kuwabara asked. Lorin muttered, "Or something!" as Hiei glared at Kuwabara.  
  
"No, Fool! We woke up this way!" he sneered. Confusion was clear on Kuwabara's face.  
  
"Uh....ok." he said.  
  
"Baka!" Hiei muttered, then looked over at Lorin in surprise as she chuckled. Hiei climbed to his feet, his normal mask of hard control on his face.  
  
"What do you want?" he snarled at Kuwabara, who blinked.  
  
"Oh, yeah, right. Kurama sent me to find you, Lorin. He needs you. I think he's in a lot of pain." Lorin leapt to her feet, water dripping from her clothes.  
  
"Why didn't you say so in the first place!" she yelled. She scooped up her katana in one hand, running toward the path that would take her back to Kurama. Hiei followed, his own blade safely in it's sheath. Lorin shot him a smile as they ran. Kuwabara blinked as he realized they had left him behind.  
  
"Uh, guys?" he called, but they were gone. He grumbled and started walking back to the hotel.  
  
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Lorin leaned back as she smirked and threw her cards down on the table. Everyone else playing groaned.  
  
"How do you do that?" Kuwabara asked, collecting the cards.  
  
"I have some skill, Stupid." she teased. He glared at her and dealt again. They were all playing cards after an eventful dinner. Lorin and Hiei had returned to find Botan helping a pale Kurama to the couch. It was clear that he was in a lot of pain. Lorin had spent the next two hours Healing Kurama. His death seed had ravaged his insides and his human body didn't heal like his youkai body would have.  
  
Dinner, like all meals, was hectic and heated. Between Kurama not feeling well, Hiei annoyed at Kuwabara for interrupting them, and all the girls showing up, it was a wonder that anyone ate at all. Finally dinner was over and they had decided to play cards.  
  
Except for Hiei. He was sitting in the window sill that Lorin had sat in earlier. What he was looking at in the darkness, she didn't know. She decided to try to get him to play. She stood and made her way over to him.  
  
"Why don't you come play, Hiei?" Kurama asked as Lorin was about to speak.  
  
Hiei turned, to give Kurama a Death Glare and snarled, "Don't make me pull out your precious voice box, Kurama!"  
  
But Lorin had been standing between Hiei and Kurama and got the full force of Hiei's anger. She stood and stared at him in shock for a moment. Everyone was silent. Lorin fled to her room as Hiei reached out a hand to touch her, surprise, shock, and worry on his face. Hiei stared at her closed door, then at Kurama.  
  
"Go after her, Hiei." he said, quietly. Hiei blinked, then got up. He walked into her room, not bothering to knock. Lorin was leaning against the window sill, the breeze blowing through her hair. She was sobbing.  
  
"That was so stupid. What were you thinking? Hiei doesn't like you. He probably can't stand you. You're too weak. He can't even stand Yusuke and Kuwabara and he's known them longer. He probably laughs at your pitiful attempts to keep up with him. You were deluding yourself, thinking maybe he liked you. I'm sure he was fighting down at your level at the lake, you couldn't really have been keeping up with him. And the kiss, he was just testing you, to see what you'd do. Fool!"  
  
Hiei stood there in the dark, listening to all this in shock. This is what she thought of herself and him? That she was weak and he was just toying with her? She turned away from the window and froze as she saw him standing there. She hurriedly wiped her eyes.  
  
"H-Hiei. I didn't here you come in." Lorin sat down on her bed, waiting. She was tense, as if expecting him to hit her.  
  
"I don't train with weaklings." he said. She looked at him, not comprehending. He took a step closer and just stared at her. Understanding came to her eyes. He was referring to what she had said. He must have overhead most of it. She stood and moved closer to him. She bit her lip, making it bleed.  
  
Suddenly she was kissing Hiei. She didn't know what had made her do that, but she was glad she had. Lorin heard him moan quietly. The kiss broke off and she saw his lips covered in her blood. He licked his lips, eyes full of desire, cheeks flushed. Then he blurred and was gone. She sighed. At least he didn't hate her. It looked like he was just as confused as she was. Lorin climbed into bed, suddenly feeling very alone.  
  
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Hiei fled to his room, trying to maintain his control. He slammed his fist into the wall, hoping the pain would cool the fire raging inside. He could barely think, wasn't really aware of the outside world. What was wrong with him? He had never felt this. He had impulses he had never had before and had no clear thoughts to stop them. He felt a hand on his shoulder. He whirled and saw Kurama's concerned eyes looking at him.  
  
"First Blood-desire, Hiei?" he asked. Hiei glared.  
  
"What the hell are you talking about, Baka Kitsune?" He snarled.  
  
Kurama smiled. "Sometimes even I forget how young you are. About how much you don't know. You got a taste of Lorin's blood, didn't you?" Hiei didn't trust his voice right now. He nodded.  
  
"It's intoxicating, isn't it? Ningen have no idea, since their bodies can't absorb the blood. But youkai know. We know how intense, how amazing, how addicting blood can be. And Ningen blood has a unique flavor to it." Kurama's voice was soft, gentle.  
  
"And it's awoken your instincts. You are bursting with desire and it's almost uncontrollable." Kurama handed Hiei a glass of sake.  
  
"Drink, it will help." he commanded. Hiei obeyed, his mind starting to clear. He looked up at Kurama and grunted.  
  
Kurama smiled. "You're welcome, Hiei. Is Lorin alright?"  
  
Hiei frowned. "She was crying." he said. There was a long pause. "She thinks she's weak." Hiei was confused. How could she think that? She kept up with all of them, and it took immense power and control to be able to copy their attacks. Kurama nodded.  
  
"I know, she does. No matter how much we talk, I can't seem to make her understand. She thinks that since she uses our attacks, instead of making up her own, that she is weaker. I just try to remind her that she is strong every chance I get." Hiei nodded. There was another long silence. Kurama stood.  
  
"We have Semi-Finals tomorrow. I'll let you get some sleep. And Hiei," Kurama said, pausing in the doorway, "Don't worry too much about Lorin, we'll convince her one way or another." Hiei glared at Kurama, who laughed and left to find his own bed.  
  
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K'so- shortened version of kuso, which means damn

Baka- Idiot

Gomen- Sorry

Kitsune- Fox


	6. Healing at the Lake

A/N: I have been dreading writing this because I was lost as to my plot. But now I have seen as much of Chapter Black as is released in the US and I have plenty of ideas now, so this will be active again. I also want to mention a few errors between chapters. I went back and re-read everything to see what needed to be next.

First, in the first scene of the first chapter, I have Kurama and Lorin being friendly, but not friends. By the beginning of the DT they are suddenly best friends. They are best friends and the first scene needs to be that Kurama does not want to get Lorin involved with the Sprit World stuff, so Koenma makes other plans.

Second, I have Hiei giving Lorin a pendent in the second date, but I have not mentioned it except in the first fight of the DT. She still has it, just its hidden under her shirt. It will come back. I also have her katana with the ability to morph into a black glove. It has not been mentioned due to the fact that she carries it openly at the DT.

Last, I have Lorin worrying over the fact that Risho is her first kill. Well, she killed youkai in the second date, when she and Hiei fell into the Makai. So it should be her first INTENTIONAL kill. She was fighting for her life in the Makai.

Please review. If you have ideas for what should happen or things you'd like to see, please tell me.

I am sorry this is so short, but it ends nicely here. the next chapter will be up within the week.

Note: All Japanese words I use will be translated at the bottom of each chapter.

Note: single quotes(' ') are thinking, usually telepathy. Double quotes( " ") are speech

Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the YYH universe. Just my character Lorin.

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Lorin walked barefoot around the edge of the lake. She was limping slightly and several new scars could be seen on her arms. Her right wrist was wrapped tightly in white bandages. Even though she was a Healer, sometimes wounds were too deep to heal cleanly without scars. That also didn't include the fact that she had used most of her powers to heal the others first. She had saved little enough for herself.

It was quiet, just the gentle lapping of the water and a slight breeze. It was done, over. They had finished what they had set out to do. They would all go back and nothing would be the same. She and SK, as she had taken to calling Shuichi Kurama, would go back to their school. Yusuke and Kuwabara to theirs, and Hiei.....Lorin didn't know what Hiei did during the day. She knew that Koenma confined him to the City, but what could possibly keep him occupied?

Lorin smiled as she reached the spot of their 'water training'. Poor Hiei. He was so serious all the time. He even thought that a simple soaking fight was training. She laughed. What would Hiei think of roller coasters or video games? She enjoyed a brief mental image of Hiei glaring at an arcade game. He would probably think roller coasters were too slow and video games pointless.

As if summoned by her thoughts and location, Hiei's ki flared in her senses. A moment later he was standing next to her, staring across the lake. It was obvious that he had been training due to the bare blade in one hand and the even barer chest. Didn't he do anything else besides train?

He said nothing, allowing Lorin the freedom to be a typical teenage girl and admire the hard muscles and smooth skin she saw. She was perfectly content that his shirt was MIA. Her thoughts returned to the other day and the kiss they had shared at the lake's edge, then later in her room. Her mind wandered to more intimate daydreams.

Suddenly, Hiei faced her, his Jagan glowing softly under the white headband, a knowing smirk on his face. Lorin blushed a deep red as she realized what he had done.

"You know, one's thoughts should be private." She protested.

He chuckled, amused. "Then one shouldn't _date_ a youkai. Privacy is not as prized for us as for Ningen." Lorin blinked. Date? Did he still think they were dating?

"I thought youkai didn't date." She pointed out. "Not like Ningen do."

"They don't. But when one has spent a great deal of time with them, certain concepts become less repulsive than before." He slid his katana into it's sheath and tossed it onto the grass. Lorin smiled at Hiei's choice of words. She was starting to understand that Hiei's sentences needed translating most of the time. Like now.

She lay back on the grass and tucked her hands behind her head, being careful of her wrist. Hiei let his eyes roam over her stretched out frame appreciatively, until she noticed what he was doing. She blushed again, reached up and grabbed his hand.

"Aren't you going to join me?" she asked, pulling him down. He smirked and let himself fall to the grass. She tried to reclaim her hand, but he caught it. He was surprisingly gentle as he turned her hand palm up to show red seeping through the bandages. He looked at her questioningly as he slowly unwound the cloth.

"I don't have an reiki left after healing all of you. It doesn't want to stop bleeding; too close to a vein, I think." Lorin explained, trying not to wince as the last of the fabric fell away. The gash underneath _was_ close to a vein, running horizontal. If Hiei hadn't known that it was from a partially blocked attack, it would have looked like Lorin had cut herself. The skin around the wound was smeared with fresh and dried blood and the cut itself was still oozing slowly. Hiei studied her wrist for a moment, then looked back up at her.

"Do you trust me?" he asked, an odd tone in his voice.

Lorin looked startled. "You know I do." He smirked and the healing began.

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youkai- demon


	7. A Scare, A Reunion, A Dare

Note: single quotes(' ') or _italics_ are thinking, usually telepathy. Double quotes( " ") are speech

Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the YYH universe. Just my character Lorin.

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"No! I am not moving and you can't make me!" Lorin shouted through her blankets and her closed bedroom door. "I refuse. I need to sleep. Just leave me alone. I don't want to talk to you." There was silence from the other side and then the sound of retreating footsteps. She sighed and flung the comforter away from her face. It was so stupid. She didn't want to be here.

_Beep. Beep. Beep._ Lorin groaned and threw a pillow across the room at her alarm clock.

"Why does everything hate me?" she said to the air. _Everything doesn't hate you, Hiei doesn't._ a rebellious voice in her head reminded her.

"I don't know that. I can't figure out WHAT he wants. I don't think he knows what he wants." She argued back, climbing out of bed. She went over to her mirror and began to brush her hair. She wasn't dressed. She didn't care if she was late. Lorin only wanted to lounge around the house in her shorts and spaghetti-strap pajama top. She heard a knock on her door, groaned, and flopped back on her bed.

"Lorin, honey?" her mother's voice was muffled, "I don't want to alarm you, and your father and I will explain later, but there are such things as youkai in this world and there is one outside our house. We need to go to the basement."

As soon as the word 'youkai' left her mom's mouth, Lorin was up out of bed, grabbed her katana from under her pillow, and yanked the door open. She rushed past her mother and down the stairs. _A youkai? Here? They must have followed me back from the Tourney. I can't let them hurt my family._ Lorin jumped the last few stairs, landing lightly on her feet and skidded to a halt in front of her father.

"Lorin, its ok, just relax and… where did you get that katana?" he frowned.

"I've had it for a….wait, how do you and mom know about youkai?" she shot back.

"How do you?" her mother asked, stepping off the stairs.

Lorin shook her head. "Let me deal with the youkai, then we can figure this out."

She faced the front door, paused, and then started laughing. "Th-this is what you woke me up for? I….I thought there was a threat here." Her parents exchanged glances.

"Lorin," her mother said, slowly, "You know about youkai and you're laughing?" Lorin settled down to a few chuckles.

"It's just Hiei." She said and yanked the door open. The fire demon stood there, hands hidden in his cloak, just waiting.

"Hiei! What are you doing here?" Lorin demanded.

"You're going to be late for school." He stated, ignoring the question. She glared at him.

"Shut up! I'm not going to school. So drop it, ok? I don't want to go and that's it!" she snarled at him. He blinked.

"You're going to be late for school." He repeated calmly. She stared at him for a long moment, then broke out laughing again.

"Fine," she agreed. "Since you're being so mean about it. But I'm taking it out on Kurama later. I bet he put you up to it." She stepped outside. Hiei smirked and gave her a slow once over.

"You might want to get dressed." He observed, dryly. Lorin looked down at what she was wearing, then up to the smug expression on Hiei's face and turned a bright red.

"Teme hentai yarou" she shot at him, then _blurred _up the stairs, leaving her very confused parents with the ever-so-talkative fire youkai.

"So…" her father started, "How do you know our daughter?" Hiei arched an eyebrow, but said nothing.

A small figure ran at the youkai and started hitting him. "My Daddy asked you a question!!!" Hiei looked down at the little girl, then at Lorin's parents, who were frozen in fear, and grabbed the back of the little one's shirt and held her at eye level. Steph, Lorin's baby sister, glared at him.

"Didn't your mommy ever teach you to be polite?" she demanded.

"Steph!" Lorin exclaimed, coming back down stairs, "that isn't nice. What did you do to Hiei?"

"You're siding with a youkai over your sister?" her mother was shocked.

Lorin sighed and rolled her eyes. "Hiei, please put my sister down. Yes, mother I am. I know him and trust him. He would never have done anything to her unless she did something first. Relax, ok. Hiei is not a threat." Steph, now being safely back on the floor, hid behind her mother.

"I'll see you after school," Lorin called as she followed her friend out the door.

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Lorin found that her friends were overjoyed to see her alive and well. They had no idea where she had vanished to for a few weeks. Jyanne, Lorin's rival, wasn't so happy. Before Lorin had left for the Dark Tournament, she had been friends with Shuichi-Kurama, but since they came back she was constantly by his side. They were so close now, like the whole team was. One can't go through what they did and not be close.

Several days after her return, Lorin looked up from her lunch to see Jyanne and her group standing in front of her. Shuichi had been asked to stay behind for a few minutes, so she was sitting with her girlfriends.

"Can I help you?" she asked. Jyanne smirked.

"I just wanted to know when you and Shuichi had started dating." Lorin laughed as Shuichi sat down next to her.

"You….you think that Shuichi…..Shuichi and I ….. are, are dating? No offense, SK, but that's insane." Kurama chuckled in agreement. Jyanne narrowed her eyes.

"So, you don't have a boyfriend?" she asked.

"I didn't say that. I have a boyfriend. He just…..doesn't go to this school." Lorin cursed herself silently. Hiei was not her boyfriend... well, not exactly. He had said something about them still dating, but... she didn't know what they were, he was YOUKAI, but she wasn't about to be undone by Jyanne. Lorin was surprised to see Jyanne's face fall. One of her friends poked her. Jyanne glared at the poker and turned back to Lorin.

"Well, a bunch of us are going on this huge double date thing and they want to know if you wanted to come." Lorin stared in shock for a moment. Then she registered the question.

"I don't know, he doesn't like group dates." Lorin kinda wished he did. She would have liked to put Jyanne in her place. Jyanne thought that since she was dating a football player that she had 'power'. Hiei would show her she was wrong. _Not that he's your boyfriend, BAKA!!!_ _He's not even Ningen. He'd blow them up or kill them or something!!_ The rebellious part of her shouted.

"What, are you too good for us?" Jyanne taunted, pouncing on Lorin's apparent weakness.

"No!" Lorin was quick to reply. "I'll ask him tonight and let you know in the morning." Satisfied, the snobs left, leaving her with her friends and Kurama.

"Are you going to ask him?" Shuichi asked, casually eating his lunch.

"I don't know. It's not like he'd really go or anything." She sighed.

"He might. Hiei does more things for you than for anyone else." He pointed out.

"Yeah, whatever." She retorted. Kurama wisely dropped the subject.

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youkai- demon

Teme hentai yarou you perverted bastard

Baka- idiot


	8. A Date and A New Mission

The last scene of this chapter in the park has been transcribed by me from the actually episode, adding in the parts concerning Lorin. That means I sat there with my remote and paper and pen and wrote out that whole scene. Enjoy.

Please Review!!

Note: single quotes(' ') or _italics_ are thinking, usually telepathy. Double quotes( " ") are speech

Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the YYH universe. Just my character Lorin.

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Lorin looked at herself in the mirror. She had worn a medium blue short sleeve shirt, and black stretch pants. She had her pendent around her neck and had swept her hair back in combs. She wasn't sure how fancy tonight was supposed to be, but she was dressing for Hiei, not the others. She went downstairs, taking them two at a time. She grabbed a light jacket from the closet and said good-bye to her family. She hadn't gone more than two steps down the front walk, when Hiei lightly leapt from a nearby tree and landed next to her. Lorin grinned.

"Hey, Hiei." she said. He gave her outfit a once over and gave her a grin. Lorin relaxed, not realizing she was tense.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" she asked. "We don't have to." Hiei shook his head.

"This Jyanne needs to be taught her place." he said. They continued to walk, turning the corner at the end of her block. She noticed with surprise that Hiei was dressed in jeans, a white T-shirt and a red and white football jacket.

"You look good," she said, sliding a hand into his pocket and intertwining her fingers with his, "Just promise me no blood tonight and bruises only if you must."

"Hn." Hiei said, but she knew he'd would do as she asked. They walked in silence the rest of the way. The others were waiting for a table when Lorin and Hiei walked in. Jyanne turned as they came in.

"So this is your boyfriend, Lorin." she said, sniffing. "I don't believe you told me his name." The rest of the group was silent, waiting for the mystery man to speak.

"Jyanne, this is Hiei." Lorin said. Jyanne held out her hand.

"Well, nice to meet you, Hiei." she said. Hiei didn't move. He stared at her, ignoring the hand. When she finally dropped it, Hiei gave her a once over and smirked. Lorin struggled not to laugh. It was clear to everyone that Hiei had just rejected Jyanne.

_What a Twit._ he thought to her. Lorin heard a familiar giggle and looked around. What she saw made her grin. Keylo, Geena, and Mika were sitting at another table watching the fun. A server approached the group and lead them to a table. Everyone sat down at the same time, except for Hiei. He helped Lorin sit down, which was a good thing since she was feeling a little dizzy, from the nerves. Once she was seated, he sat. The other guys looked at each other and shrugged. This new guy was showing them up. The meal progressed. Hiei continued to show up the other guys, getting Lorin more to drink or handing her some bread almost before she asked. He was being surprisingly sweet for Hiei. He would flash her small smirks, that she was coming to realize were the closest thing to a true smile she would probably ever see. He didn't say much, but that was Hiei. He answered questions with as few words as possible. After the dishes had been cleared away, Jyanne's boyfriend, Jim, had finally had enough.

"Look, You. You've been sitting there all night acting like your better than the rest of us. I don't like it."

Hiei blinked."I am better than you." he stated. " I am stronger, faster, and more intelligent."

All the other guys turned purple. "That's it. I challenge you to arm wrestle. Right here, right now." Jim snarled. Hiei blinked again.

"I have just insulted you, your strength, and your brain, and you wish to settle this with an…'arm wrestle'?" Hiei's voice was dripping with distain. Jim turned a darker shade of purple, but didn't back down.

"Yeah," he said. "No one can beat me at arm wrestling." Lorin felt Hiei mentally roll his eyes at stupid humans, but he put his arm on the table. Jim gripped Hiei's hand. He was a football player and looked it.

Jyanne smirked. "I'll bet you $10 that Jim wins." she said to Lorin.

"Alright. I'll see that. In fact I'll see anyone's bet." She grinned. There was a flurry of activity as people got out their money. Soon, all bets had been placed. Jim strained against Hiei, who didn't move a muscle. He strained for a few more minutes, not moving Hiei's hand an inch.

"I tire of this game," Hiei sneered and as fast as lightning, banged Jim's hand to the table. Everyone, but Lorin, stared in shocked silence at Hiei. Lorin was busy snatching money from each person's limp fingers.

Suddenly all the guys were shouting at once. They all wanted to try to beat Hiei and boasted that they could. Hiei was about to refuse, when he saw the satisfaction all over Lorin's face. This was the first time she had felt superior to these people. Even though she had seen and done things that these numbskulls could never imagine, had strength that made demons tremble, she had always felt inferior to them.

Hiei decide to accept the other challenges to make Lorin happy. All the matches ended the same way. Hiei would watch them strain uselessly against him, then would get tired with it and slam their hands to the table. Everyone had continued to bet against Hiei, certain that one of the jocks here could beat him. Lorin made out like a bandit, both in the bets and in the respect she earned through him. Hiei stood, tossing some bills on the table for his and Lorin's dinner. He looked over the people sitting in stunned silence and smirked.

"Come on, Lorin, let's go. I've grown bored with this place." The two of them walked out, Lorin pausing to nodded to her friends who were laughing uncontrollably at their table.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Once they were outside, Lorin leaned over and kissed Hiei on the cheek. "Thank you," she said, softly. He arched an eyebrow in question, but said nothing.

"Oh, come on, you know what I'm talking about." She protested. He continued to walk, clearly waiting. She walked in silence for a moment, before giving in.

"Fine, thank you for coming and showing up that Baka, Jyanne. I didn't think it would go like that, but I can't think of a better way to have done it. You were so cool, Hiei. I refused to let myself hope that you would even come and you did and you were being so sweet and…" she broke off as Hiei stopped and put a finger on her lips.

He smirked. "If you want to thank me, do so…properly." He pulled her back from the path of the others walking on the sidewalk and kissed her soundly.

"Yeah," she whispered when she could breathe again, " Like that…" He grinned a cocky smirk that every guy in history smirked when they'd just made their woman speechless. Suddenly, he winced in pain and jerked his head to look east.

"Hiei?" she asked, worried. He said nothing for a long moment.

"Kuso! What fool…" he trailed off, then looked back at her. "Go home. I will find you soon." Before she could ask what was going on, he _blurred_ and was gone.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hiei raced through the city toward the park, which seemed to be the origin of a horrible sound that pierced to the very core of him. He had to make it stop as soon as possible. He leapt off cars, boxes, and even the heads of people. He thought several of them were shoved into the pavement from the force he used, but he didn't care. The only thing was that cursed sound. Obviously it didn't affect Ningen or Lorin would have heard it. He landed lightly on a tree branch when he realized that the sound had stopped. He lost his balance and fell to the ground. He held his pounding head in one hand.

"What repulsive creature makes my eardrums bleed?" he snarled. He glanced up and realized that Botan, Kurama, and Kuwabara.

"Thanks, Hiei. I thought you'd come if we called." Botan said, cheerfully. Hiei stood quickly, furious. He had left Lorin for this?

"I didn't know it was you. I only came to find the source of that vile noise. And kill it!" he snarled. Kurama thrust a piece of paper in his hands.

"Here, you'd better read this." He said, calmly. If it had come from anyone else, Hiei would have burned it instantly. Instead he read it and almost broke down laughing.

"Hn. So the Detective's been ensnared. Must have been too cocky to realize his own weakness. Just tell the kidnappers I turned it down. I'm finished babysitting." He turned away and began to walk off. If he hurried, he could still beat Lorin to her house and the evening wouldn't be ruined.

"You must be curious," Kurama's voice cut through his thoughts. He stopped. "Someone strong enough to overcome Yusuke must surely provide a challenge." Hiei considered Kurama's words. Possibly. It was true that Yusuke was strong, but he was also stupid. He rushed into things, so it could just have been idiocy that had gotten him caught.

"Nice try. But I no longer care." He said, beginning to walk again.

"But how can you even think of walking off, Hiei? If you don't come, Yusuke could be killed." Botan protested.

"Not my responsibility." He said, facing them once more, "You should have learned by now that this is a kill or be killed world. If you're too weak to help yourself, you deserve to fail."

_::Except Lorin, she never deserves to fail.::_

"_Who are you?"_

_::I'm you.::_

"_Lorin is not weak!"_

_::No, but you'd not let anything happen to her and you know it.::_

"_Shut up."_

"Then what if stopping these people now protected you own interests? Kurama continued to reason, "The culprits are most likely human and we both know what powerful humans like to hunt. If they are allowed to kill Yusuke, perhaps you will be next." He paused, "Or Lorin." _That_ got to Hiei, though he refused to show it. He could and would make sure nothing happened to her.

"Fighting Humans. That nearly peaks my interest. But not quite."

I wonder, Hiei," Botan interjected, "How have you liked being stuck on probation? Bolted down to one city."

"What do you think?" he sneered.

"Well, if you help bring Yusuke back alive, I'll have Koenma cut your sentence to time served. You'll be free." She offered.

"Uh, are you sure you want to do that?" Kuwabara asked. Hiei restrained from killing him right then. If he was free, he could reforge his network here in Ningenkai.

"There's no other choice." Botan reminded Kuwabara, "We're almost out of time. Make your call, Hiei."

"Fighting humans to win my freedom." He smirked, "Sounds like a deal."

"Then come on!" Botan insisted, "This is one house party we don't want to be late too." The others began to move off.

"Wait." Hiei said, not moving. The turned back to face him. Hiei blurred and appeared a second later with a silver object in his hand.

"Hey! That's my cell phone." Kurama cried indignantly. Hiei nodded as he flipped it open and hit a phone number.

"What is he doing?" Kuwabara asked Kurama, who smiled knowingly.

"You'll see." He said. They went silent as Hiei began to talk.

"No, Hiei…..I borrowed it from him. I won't see you tonight." He smirked. "They begged for my help….Yes, I am." He listened for a moment, then hung up. He handed Kurama his cell and arched an eyebrow, daring him to say something. Kurama, wisely, just put the phone away. They left the park to find Yusuke.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Baka- idiot


	9. A Talk with Parents

ok, sorry it took me so long to update. I'm going to try to update my stories every Monday, so this one is a day early. Not too much Hiei, but this is needed to resolve something else. DOn't worry, you'll see Hiei next chapter.

Note: single quotes(' ') or _italics_ are thinking or telepathy. Double quotes( " ") are speech

Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the YYH universe. Just my character Lorin.

-

"Well, I hope they don't get into too much trouble." Lorin muttered to herself as she slid her cell phone back into her pocket. "With those boys, who knows what their doing. At least Hiei and SK have some sense. She smiled, imagining the boys in the middle of some stupid contest or something. It was a little interesting to try to figure out what Yusuke and Kuwabara said to convince Hiei to along with it.

_Especially when he was on a date with you._ The thought popped into her head. Even though there was no one around, she felt her face grow hot.

_That's nice and arrogant sounding. It would be your luck if Hiei was back already and was listening in on your thoughts. He could be having a good laugh at your expense. _Her more rational side scolded.

_If Hiei was back, he'd be down here finishing that kiss outside the restaurant. _Her blush deepened_. Ok we are now changing the topic. Like who is still up at 11pm_." She dug in another pocket for her house key and unlocked the door. A light in the living room told her that her parents were home from their shopping trip and still awake. Dana, her older sister would be up in her room if she was still up and if Steph was still up, Lorin would be very surprised. After quietly closing and relocking the front door and removing her shoes she walked to the living room and poked her head in briefly.

"Hey, I'm back, and I'll be in my room." She said, quickly. Lorin had been avoiding her parents since the day Hiei had shown up at her door. She didn't know what to make of her parents knowledge of youkai and certainly didn't know how to deal with their new knowledge that _she _knew about youkai.

"Wait, Lorin, we need to talk." Her mother called as Lorin tried to duck out.

_K'so. So close and yet so far. Hiei, where are you when I need you?_ Lorin groaned silently as she entered the room and flopped down in one of the armchairs, propping her feet up and resolving to make this as short as possible. She didn't want to get into a long drawn out argument.

"Sweetheart, we need to talk about what happened the other day. With you and….Hiei? Was that his name?" Her father started. Yup, she had been right about what her parents had wanted.

"Hai. His name is Hiei Jaganshi." She answered politely. Her parents exchanged significant looks and nodded. Lorin hated it when her parents did that. If they had a comment, they should just say it. How old did they think she was? Four?

"Honey, how do you know about youkai?" her mother asked.

How did _she_ know about youkai? That was a long answer, and one Lorin didn't feel like really getting into. So she did a timeless teenage reaction…she turned the question right back around. "How do you know about youkai?"

"We know because we have to," dad said, picking up the conversation again. He seemed to understand that Lorin didn't want to share. "We were commissioned to protect you. King Yama knew you had a lot of potential when you were born. He had us trained in defense against youkai." There was a long silence.

"You were trained to protect me? Cause I had potential?" she repeated, "Potential of what?"

"There was something about your energy that was different from everyone else's. The King wanted to protect that. We were informed of the nearby Reikai Tentai and taught how to detect and shield against youkai." Her father leaned back, waiting for Lorin to share.

"Well, that makes my job easier. I am Reikai Tentai." While not entirely accurate, Lorin figured the term 'spirit detective' would be the best way to explain what she was to her parents. "Hiei is a good friend and a member of the team. I know about them because it's my job to defend against them. Hiei is no threat to any of you or to me."

"And you want us to just believe that?" Her mother protested. Youkai are not trustworthy."

"Hiei is. I have several that I trust. Two of the team are youkai and there are others that we've met during missions that I know to be trustworthy." Lorin insisted, _Chuu, Rinku, Yukina, Touya, Jin. _"Gomen if you can't handle that, but it's my choice." She kicked the footrest away from her chair and stood. Lorin gave her parents a long, disgusted look and stormed out.

-

Lorin stared out over the windowsill in her bedroom, thinking about what her parents had said.

They were trained to defend against youkai. That meant King Yama had been aware of her and her powers way before she had been introduced to Hiei and the rest. So, why had Hiei shown up at school for that drawing? She couldn't see him entering the contest for any reason, not for money, out of boredom or just for fun. It just wasn't his way of doing things.

"Lori?" A small voice pulled her from her thoughts. "Lori?" the voice repeated, "Are you asleep?"

Lorin grinned and turned toward the door where her little sister was standing. Steph was wearing a pink nightgown with lace and pink slippers. She had a teddy bear in her arms.

"No, babe, I'm not asleep. Come here." Lorin invited, moving to sit on her bed and patting the spot next to her. With permission given, Steph broke out in a gap-toothed grin and leapt for the bed. Landing, she hugged Lorin.

"Why are you sad? Why are you and mommy and daddy fighting?" she asked, snuggling with both her older sister and Teddy. Lorin sighed and smiled down at her.

"I'm not sad. I'm just a little tired. And mommy, daddy, and I were just having a talk. We aren't really fighting. They knew something that I didn't know they knew and it surprised me. I just needed to think about it. Don't worry, ok, Little One?"

Steph nodded, her eyes drifting closed again. Her older sister chuckled and scooped her up. Walking down the hall, Lorin quickly deposited Steph into her bed.

"Good night, baby." She whispered, pulling the blankets up.

"Night, Lori." Steph whispered back, almost asleep. Lorin retreated to her own room and began to get ready for bed herself. It was close to midnight, but she wasn't worried. She could sleep in tomorrow. Lorin retuned to the window and stared at the moon, wondering if Hiei and the others had finished their contest and were sleeping. Hopefully there would be no broken bones or major cuts for her to heal.

Lorin smiled indulgently at the thought. She would blister their ears, but would take care of her boys. It seemed that she was the only one who did most of the time. At least she wasn't mad at her parents anymore. She'd have to remember to tell them that in the morning.

-

youkai- demon

Reikai Tentai- Spirit Detectives

Baka- idiot

K'so- damn

Hai- yes

Gomen- sorry


	10. Hiei Gets Yelled At

A/N: Gomen-sai! I am very sorry. I thought I had already posted this chapter. Here it is and it has a nice cliff hanger. I am halfway through the next chapter, so review and I'll work hard to finish it.

* * *

Lorin paced by the stream in the park, fury evident in her every step. She kept pausing to scoop up small rocks and hurl them into the gently flowing waters, before resuming motion.

_How dare he?_ She fumed, continuing to pace. To those sensitive to reiki, the anger she felt was even more. Waves of red-hot rage poured off her. Lorin's energy had shot through the roof in response to her feelings.

_He had better come up with a good explanation or I'll…. I'll knock him all the way back to Makai. I'll pound him into the ground, until he merges with it! How DARE he?_

_

* * *

_  
Flashback

* * *

"_Yusuke! Kuwabara! Wait up. I'll walk with you part way." Lorin called as she spotted her teammates on the sidewalk ahead of her. Almost as one, the boys turned and grinned. _

"_Hey, Lorin!" Yusuke called back as she ran up to them._

"_Good morning, boyos. How are you this fine day?" she said. Lorin had been in a great mood since her date the other night with Hiei, except for her argument with her parents, but they had resolved that for the most part. It was still a little strange that they knew, but at least they hadn't tried to stop her from doing her job or seeing Hiei. She wasn't even annoyed that he hadn't come back after helping the boys. _

"_I'm beat," Yusuke sighed, looking worn out. His feet were dragging and his book bag dragging along on the sidewalk._

"_Yeah, me too. After everything that happened a few nights ago, I'm still exhausted." Kuwabara agreed. "Man, with Urameshi getting kidnapped and me and Botan and Hiei almost losing our souls and all that, I still can't believe it all."_

"_You think you had it hard," Yusuke retorted, "I was stuck in the same place for hours with that jerk standing on my shadow, running his _stupid_ mouth! I couldn't move or fight or even itch my nose." _

"_Come on, you are such a wimp…" Kuwabara snickered, then paused as he realized Lorin wasn't with them. She was standing a few feet behind them, confusion on her face._

"_What do you mean, 'Yusuke was kidnapped' and 'Hiei almost lost his soul'?" she asked, carefully. The boys exchanged looks._

"_You don't know?" Kuwabara asked._

"_We thought Hiei or Kurama would have told you." Yusuke commented._

"_Told me what?" Lorin asked, gritting her teeth. What was going on?_

"_You tell her." Kuwabara said, glancing at Yusuke and shaking his head, "I don't want her mad at me." Yusuke rolled his eyes and sighed._

"_Fine, I will. Wuss." He faced Lorin and winced, "Well, a few days ago, I got kidnapped by a couple of freaks, who turned out to be alright, but we didn't know that. They told Hiei, Kurama, and Kuwabara that they all had to come to this spooky house and get me...and yeah, They had to fight the freaks and stuff and..." A school bell sounded in the distance. "Oh, Hell! We gotta go. Bye, Lorin." Yusuke finished, dashing off, Kuwabara at his heels. Lorin shook her head at the two retreating backs and decided to take her anger out on SK. Suichi Kurama should have told her. Hiei should have told her. She'd find out why they hadn't._

_

* * *

_

Lorin paused by a tree and remembered Kurama's explanation of what had happened. There really hadn't been time to go get her and bring her back by the deadline. She had pointed out that Hiei had called her and could have had her meet them there. SK had colored slightly before confessing that he had been too worried about Yusuke and had figured Hiei had his reasons for not wanting her there.

Kurama had redeemed himself in her eyes by giving her a complete and detailed recounting of what had happened, including Hiei 'almost losing his soul'. He also told her about Genkai and Koenma's explanations as well as the class system for youkai.

"_And Hiei just left?" she had asked. By this point she and SK were sitting on the grass in the park. He was leaning against a tree and she was leaning against him. _

"_Yes. He said that since Koenma had us, and the newcomers, he was redundant. I think he was upset that he was ranked at mid-B class. Koenma failed to tell him that when he first fought with Yusuke he was only a D class. The fact that Hiei has jumped that far in a year is a sign of his skill, but Hiei doesn't think like that." Suichi explained. Lorin laughed._

"_No, no he doesn't. Hiei is very direct." She paused, "I still can't believe he didn't even tell me what was going on. It's not like I'm a child. Didn't I prove myself at the Tournament?" she demanded. _

_Kurama hugged her. "You did, at least in my eyes. I'm certain Hiei feels the same."

* * *

_

Lorin had brooded for the rest of the day. After dinner she had made her way to the stream and had let down her concealing shields. It was the fastest and easiest way to let Hiei know she wanted him. It also was the most dangerous, since any youkai nearby could pick it up as well. Right now, however, she didn't care. Any youkai stupid enough to come near her with the kind of energy she was putting out deserved what they got.

Soon enough the familiar flicker of ki flared in her senses. Hiei was coming. Another few seconds past, then a little black outline was in the tree above her. It landed on its feet in front of her and Hiei was there.

"You called?" he smirked. Lorin glared at him and Hiei took a step back in surprise.

"Teme yarou. " she snarled at him. "What the _hell_ is wrong with you? Not only do you leave me out of it, but then you don't even tell me _after_? What were you thinking? I had to find out from listening to Yusuke and Kuwabara _gossip_ about it! How _could_ you! After everything, _everything_ we've been though, didn't I at least earn the right to be told? Didn't I deserve to come along?

Hiei blinked and said nothing.

"Can't you even answer me _now_!" she demanded.

"What are we talking about?" Hiei asked, his mind whirling as he tried to pick out clues from her rant. What had he done? The last time he had seen her this angry was at the Tournament.

"Yusuke getting kidnapped." She ground out

Understanding flooded Hiei's mind. Now it made sense. He opened his mouth to speak, but she didn't let him.

"You almost lost your _soul_! What was I supposed to do if Kurama hadn't won? I'd never know! I wouldn't have a clue where to start looking! The Captain of our Team goes missing and you decide not to _tell_ me? New powers, unknown enemies…I thought I had proved myself at the Tournament, Hiei! Obviously not!" She turned away from him and hurled a stone into the stream.

"Lorin," Hiei began, then stopped, searching for unfamiliar words. "I…I didn't want to ruin your night. You were happy. You were safe…and there was no proof of our enemies knew of your existence. They hadn't insisted that you come by name." He stopped again, unsure of what else he was trying to say.

"I know you are protective of me, Hiei, but I'm not weak, or at least you keep telling me that. Don't worry, though, I'll prove it once and for all. I won't be around for a while. Don't try to look for me, you won't find me. When I'm done I'll find you." With that she blurred and was gone.

* * *

Teme yarou- you bastard 


	11. The Transformation

A/N: Ok, here is the next chapter. Hope you like it. We're alomst into Chapter Black. The story will take quite a drastic twist after that...evil grin. Anyway for those of you who check my reviews, and to the review who accused me of copying, I copied nothing except for from that website, which I put as a disclaimer in the begining chapters. Everything else has come from my own strange head. I haven't read the other story in depth yet, but from my scanning of it, it appears that he went with the 'who is Hiei's Father?' plotline. I just skipped it. I went to the Dark Tournament and now to Chapter Black. Anyway, here's the chap... Reviews are still more than welcome.

* * *

The world was on fire. Everything was hot and burning. She could feel it with every ounce of her being. There was nothing to do, but endue. Her Reiki was trapped within her skin. She couldn't use it. _Just like Kurama's was against Masho._ The thought floated out of the pain. It took her a long moment to remember who Kurama was. A face appeared before her, red hair turning to flame as she studied it. The fire burned away the skin, leaving behind a skull and she thought she screamed. The bone melted away and left nothing behind.

She had no idea who or what Masho was, but she did know that the thought was true. It had happened. Kurama's energy had been trapped. Hers was still there. She could see it, feel it, but something kept her from using it to deal with this agony. She strained to release the bonds that kept her, but to no avail. She couldn't. She was too weak. Weak...that is what started this whole thing...She was too weak.

A world appeared before her as a little of the pain faded. Sounds were the first thing she recognized, a loud, steady beeping. Lights, bright lights, a ceiling and a face came into focus. A male face, with brown hair. He was watching her and there was concern written in his brown eyes. He was tall and was wearing blue and red. Who was he? What did he want? She couldn't defend herself. Where was the protection she was promised? Wait a minute...protection? Why did she need protection? Did something hunt her? She felt trapped, fear of capture coursing through her blood. What was going on? Who was she?

"Lorin," he whispered, "I can see your eyes are open. Are you aware? Can you understand me?" It's voice was gentle and worried. Lorin? Was that her name? What was she? What did it mean to be Lorin? The figure moved a little closer She felt a growl build in the back of her throat and he froze in his tracks. The feeling of threat faded.

"I guess you can. Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you. I'm a friend. I doubt you remember with all the pain your in. I am very sorry, but I can't take that pain away yet or let you have your reiki to dull it. It should start to fade on it's own soon. You just need time to adjust," he kept his voice soft as if to avoid paining her and she noticed that the supposed bright lights were not all that bright. Come to think of it, there was hardly any noise in the area at all, besides that annoying beeping. She could hear the smallest rustle of cloth or a water faucet dripping.

Why could she do that? How? She had better than normal senses since she had reiki, but it had never been this good...had it? A wave of pain engulfed her. Every thought was blocked as she was consumed by the excruciating burning. A moan escaped her lips and the young man with brown hair was instantly concerned.

"Lorin, is it getting much worse? It's supposed to be going away soon. Just hang on a little longer. I wish Hiei were here. He'd be able to help." Hiei? Who was Hiei? Another face appeared before her and Lorin felt the urge to smile and slap the smug look off his face. She focused on the man before her. A name came...Koenma...memories...he was safe...

"Koenma..." she whispered. Surprise shot through the eyes of her friend and he nodded. "Don't tell Hiei," she protested

He smiled a little. "I won't just as I promised." A memory floated to her from the pain.

* * *

flashback

* * *

"_What do you mean, 'don't tell the others'? Don't they know what you're doing, Lorin?" a toddler Koenma yelled at her. She glared at him and didn't back down. _

"_No! They don't know and I don't want them to until I'm done. This is what I want for my wish. No one will change my mind," she insisted._

"_This is going to be extremely painful. Even you, a winner of the Dark Tournament, has never felt this kind of pain. Don't you want them there to help you with that?" he protested. Koenma hopped on his desk and began to pace. He was sucking on his pacifier furiously. It was clear he didn't like this at all._

"_No," she said again, "I can handle it. They'll only try to stop me. Besides, don't they have to search for that Tunnel to Makai?"_

_He sighed and shook his head. "Yes, they do, but Lorin you don't understand what you're getting into. This is extremely dangerous. It could kill you. Do you want to possibly die without Hiei or the others with you?" _

_That one gave her pause. He jumped down and paced the floor in front of his desk for a change. She was mad at Hiei, yes, but not that mad. She couldn't do that to him. He had lost so much already and didn't open up to anyone. _

"_Alright, Koenma, a compromise. If it looks like I'm going to die, call the others to help. Otherwise we do this my way, Agreed?" she asked, staring at him intently._

"_Agreed." The look he gave her screamed reluctance.

* * *

_

end flashback

* * *

"I'm going to live then?" she whispered, shifting to move away from the pain. Koenma put a cool hand on her face. She stopped, quieting at the ice on her burning skin.

"Yes, I do believe the surgery was a success. Only time will tell, of course, how much you've lost and how much you've gained." He slid an arm under her shoulder and help a cup of water to her lips.

"What?" Lorin asked, after obediently sipping some water, "I'm going to lose what?" Panic filled her eyes at the thought of not remembering. She needed to know, to have memories. She needed to know who she was. Could her memories _have _been affected? She knew that 'Hiei' was important to her, but right now she couldn't remember the face she had seen earlier or hear a voice. Lorin didn't know why he was important, just that he was the reason she was doing all of this.

"You might loose some of your Reiki. It probably won't function as it should. You might have some relearning to do." Koenma hastened to explained. He helped her sit all the way up, propping pillows behind her.

"But my memories, they'll be fine, right?" she asked, worried. The pain was mostly gone...for now. She had to get as many answers as possible before it returned.

"Memories? You can't remember?" It clearly surprised him. He thought for a few minutes. "I guess that could be a side effect of the surgery," he muttered to himself, "The rest of you was affected in other ways." He looked up at her. "I am sure that it is just a temporary thing. I will check with the surgeon, if you want. Tell me what do you not remember?" he asked. Exhaustion filled her eyes and she felt centuries old.

"I don't know. Everything is fuzzy. I just..." Lorin hugged herself and tear filled her eyes, "I don't know. I don't know anything. I feel so alone, isolated. Where are they? They promised to always be here, didn't they?" she whispered, broken. "Oh, I wouldn't let you tell them, right? I pushed them away. Maybe...maybe...I deserve this... I deserve to be alone. I... I..." she felt a gentle hand on her arm and looked up to Koenma's compassion filled eyes.

"No," he said, firmly, "you don't deserve to be alone. And you aren't. True that you didn't want the others here right now, but I'm still here. When you remember why you sent them away, then I'll send for them if you want. Don't be afraid." She nodded, and felt her eyes grow heavy.

"Sleep now. I'll guard you." Koenma assured her. It was the last thing she head before the darkness claimed her.


	12. The Face in the Mirror

A/N: It was a good guess, but no Lorin does not have a Jagan. Sorry this took so long. For whatever reason, two of the three computers in my house won't let me bring up my Hiei chapters to work on and the last one that does let me has the internet on it, so everyone wants to be on it.

* * *

It still didn't look any different. She turned her head back and forth to study her reflection. Her face, eyes, hair, ears, fingers, toes, hands, feet. It all still looked the same. Nothing had changed... except for the loss of her reiki. Koenma had said to expect that. Her body was trying to figure out what she had done to it. That might take a while. She had done a lot to it... at least that's if what she had wanted had actually happened. Sure she was tired and sometimes there was a lot of pain, but she still couldn't see any difference.

Lorin remembered that she had told the surgeon to make her look as close to her old form as possible, but she never thought he would make there be no changes. Nothing, she looked exactly the same. Sighing as she picked up a hairbrush, she began to pull her hair back for school. Her parents thought she had been sick, but they didn't understand what she was really going through.

Pain lanced across her hand and up her arm, starting large muscle spasms. Dropping the brush and falling off her chair in surprise, Lorin bit her lip to muffle the cries of pain. K'so. K'so. It hurt so much. Koenma had said the pain would stop, but it didn't. It would simmer in the back of her mind, waiting until she least expected it to strike with new venom.

She lay perfectly still as the pain started to fade. It was all she could do. Any attempt to dull it with her reiki had the opposite effect. Was she doomed to live the rest of her life like this? Finally her body felt almost normal again. It seemed safe to move. Gingerly testing her balance, Lorin climbed back to her feet and collected her school books.

"Lorin? You're going to be late," her mother called from downstairs. _Great, time to give myself another headache._ Carefully, she stretched out to sense every spare thread of her wayward energy and began to pull them tightly back inside of her. Nothing could be showing. Her mother and father could sense the changes and she still had to face Suichi once she got to school. He was too smart for his own good and he would tell Hiei. That was the last thing she wanted right now. She was out of control. Until she mastered these changes to her body, Lorin didn't want any of the boys to know.

Balancing school books and her reiki, she slowly made her way downstairs. Without saying anything to her parents or sisters, she grabbed an apple and her jacket and silently walked out of the house. It was only a few minutes to walk to school, normally, but with her condition, it seemed like an eternity. Each person she passed brought a new assault on her senses.

The pressure kept building and building. There was nothing she could do but endure. She knew everyone thought she was sicker than she let on or that she was just being a snob. It took too much effort to talk and attempt to be social. She just did her work and survived. Something had to break soon... Something just _had to_.

* * *

"_Rose Whip!_ K'so. _Rose Whip!_ K'so. Come on! This should be easy!" Lorin glared at the offending rose in her hand. It seems a simple basic attack was still beyond her. Why didn't her energy work the way it was supposed to? This surgery should come with an instruction book. _How to Work Your New Energy Levels and Do What You Want: Chapter One- Turning on the Power_. Taking a deep breath and focusing her power as she had originally been taught by Kurama she tried a few more times.

"K'SO! TEME YAROU!" Lorin was now screaming at the innocent flower that had thwarted her. "_Rose Whip!_" she commanded one last time, pouring all her anger and fury into it. A glow surrounded the petals and the whip appeared in her hand...but only for a few seconds. Flames sprang to life and engulfed the plant, burning it and her fingers. With a yell, she dropped the charred remains.

_It wouldn't obey a specific command. I decided it needed to be punished._ Hiei's words popped into her mind as she stared at what she had just done. How? Why? She got so angry so quickly these days. Was it another side effect of the changes? The flames had felt different... a different kind of energy.

"Hello? Hello? Is someone there?" A voice floated to her from the front of the house. It was quiet, clearly not talking to her, but she heard it nonetheless. Sprinting from the backyard, Lorin peeked around the corner. She speed and her senses hadn't been negatively affected by the changes. In fact they appeared to get better. A young man stood nervously in front of her house.

Sighing at the interruption, she rounded the corner and walked over. "Yes? Can I help you?" she asked.

Relief was clear on his face. "Yeah, I'm supposed to deliver this package, but I can't get to the door." He shrugged and motioned toward to the door with his box. Lorin frowned and looked where he pointed. Suddenly her senses were overwhelming assaulted and a headache pounded behind her eyes as the tears streamed down her face. Covering the front porch was a small sea of roses, consisting of every color from white to red to blue to black.

"Are you alright?" the delivery boy asked, obviously concerned. He gently put a hand on her shoulder. It took every ounce of Lorin's willpower not to throw the Baka across the street for the pain his innocent touch caused.

"It's- It's just allergies. I live here, so I'll take your package." She half-blindly grabbed the box. Uncertainty clouded his face, but he let go of it. Slowly he turned away and left. Stumbling toward the front door, Lorin fought to get control of her rebellious senses. Wading into the middle of the plants, she noticed weeds among the flowers as well as labels attached to little wooden stakes with names of plants on them. Sitting in the exact middle was a white envelope with her name neatly written on it. It was Kurama. She knew his handwriting anywhere. The flowers also held faint traces of his energy. Why was SK sending her flowers...and why he special fighting ones? Finally able to ignore the smell, she sat down among the roses and opened the letter.

_Lorin,_

_Hiei raided my gardens, if you couldn't tell._( Lorin could almost here SK chuckling. It filled her with sorrow. She missed that.) _He was just going to leave them and consider it finished, but I know that these situations require an explanation. This is Hiei's apology for not including you in Yusuke's kidnapping, though you and I both know he would never admit that. He asked me what ningen males do to make ningen females happy. I had to smother a grin. I knew exactly what he was really asking. I told him that flowers and chocolates were traditional. He was instantly gone and later that afternoon I found my gardens empty, even of the weeds. I hope you accept these. Hiei has been miserable, snapping and destroying things. I know that those are behaviors normal for Hiei, but the intensity and frequency have gr4eatly increased. I know you have been keeping your distance from us and I have sensed the tension at school. I am unsure what you are struggling with, but I wish you would confined in me. I hope you will remember that I am your Otomodati and I will do whatever I need to do to help you. Perhaps I am reading the situation entirely wrong and there is something else going on. If it is something I did, please forgive me. I miss you, Lorin. Come back soon._

_Suichi Kurama_

The sorrow she felt started to overwhelm her and she wanted to run to SK and let him help her. She couldn't go to Hiei, he would be so upset. She did forgive him. Actually, she hadn't thought about that at all since the surgery. Could she really tell Kurama? He was a lot older than her. Maybe he could help. She buried her head in her hands. She didn't know what to do. The pain was too much, both the physical and the emotional.

* * *

A/N: what do you think? Should she tell Kurama or tough it out? Review and tell me.

Otomodati- best friend.

K'so- damn

Reiki- spirit energy

teme yarou – you bastard


	13. Mushiyori City Part 1

A/N: _Thank you all for waiting. I know you have been patient with me. This chapter is almost twice the length of my normal chapters, running 2700 words. Enjoy. No one has yet guessed what happened to Lorin. She did not get a Jagan, though that was a good guess.

* * *

_

_Ok, here's the plan, we go into school and find Suichi._

_Oh, yeah, great plan… how did I not come up with that on my own._

_Hey! I wasn't done yet. We find him and tell him we got his letter. Then say that there are parts of the letter we'd like to talk about. He's smart, he'll understand. _

_Wow! We are geniuses this morning. I think all the pain has addled your brains._

Lorin realized that it wasn't very smart to argue with one's self and try to walk down a crowded school hall. In fact, it wasn't a good idea to argue with herself, period, but none of her friends were around to argue with instead. It was still painful to walk among lots of people, but there were times when she managed to shut them out enough. It wasn't her normal reiki that she used in those moments, but something else, something very different. She still didn't know what had happened to her reiki. She could feel it was around somewhere, but it was doing something, protecting her maybe. It was being used as fast as she generated it.

Lorin turned the last corner before homeroom. Suichi always beat her there, if they didn't walk to school together. A wave of loneliness washed over her. She hadn't walked with Suichi to school since before the House of Four Dimensions. Entering the room, she frowned. His seat was empty. She glanced around the class. He was no where to be seen. Where was SK?

-- Of course he's not here. He's a youkai after all, and youkai look out for themselves first. Did you really think he'd be here when you needed him the most? --

Now that was a crazy thought. Of course SK would help her. He had said so. Maybe he was sick or his mom was. Lorin hoped not, and took her own seat. Class was about to start and she would have to find Suichi later.

* * *

_What's the worst he could do?_

_He could hate us._

_No, he won't. He's our best friend. He said so in the letter. He's always stood by us._

_Yeah, but we've never done anything like this._

_True, but he stood by us after Hiei was burned by his dragon and after we killed Risho._

_I can't stand to lose him. If I do, I'll lose Hiei too! I can't._

_We won't lose either one. SK will probably just smile gently like he does and tell us that while we didn't need to do what we did, he'll still help us, of course._

_sigh I can see that. He'd chuckle and then give me a hug and I can cry and…and…._

_Get control of everything._

_EXACTLY! We have to find Kurama now._

_The phone's over there, baka._

Lorin stopped pacing her room and rushed to the desk. She tripped over her feet and knocked the phone off the hook. Help was so close now and she couldn't stand up!

_Let's see, 555-5957. It's ringing!_

"Hello? Mrs. Minamino! Hi, it's Lorin…. Yes, I'm fine. How are you?… Good, good. Listen I need to talk to Suichi. Is he there?… He wasn't in school today…. I see. Mushiyori City?… Staying with friends…. Do you have the address? Hold on, I'll get some paper…. Ok…uh-huh, Slaster Ave, got it. Thanks, Mrs. M…. Yeah, I'll tell him you said hi. Bye."

Lorin closed her eyes as she hung up the phone and sighed. This wasn't going to be as easy as she'd thought. At least today was Friday. She just had to think of something to convince her parents to let her go to Mushiyori City and she could find Kurama….

Lorin jerked up her head and glared at herself in the mirror. How stupid could she be? Just tell them she was going _with_ SK. They trusted her and him to go on a weekend trip to visit "friends" and if she threw the "we have as school project" line in there, they would have to say yes! It was foolproof.

She made for the stairs.

Twenty minutes later found Lorin back in her room packing a backpack for her trip. She had the essentials: clothes, money, pain killers and enough seeds to plant several large gardens. All she needed now was her katana, in its glove form of course, the pendent Hiei had given her (she rarely took it off, but she triple checked that she had it) and last but not least, the train ticket that she'd printed off the Net.

Putting the backpack over one shoulder and the black glove on her left hand, Lorin marched down the stairs and out the front door, determined not to come back without some answers.

* * *

Hiei hurt. He hated to hurt, but despite all his attempts to avoid it, it had happened anyway. Most of the people he had interacted with were stupid and weak. He didn't care if they lived or died. Since his banishment from the Ice World, Hiei had vowed to never be hurt again. A baby was born with a need to care about its mother. The little hi youkai was not exception. She was the last person, except his sister, to matter to him…until now.

Within a years time, he had let not only one, but three people inside all the walls he had built. All of them were more cunning than they let on. Though, only Kurama had any clue he was cunning. Yusuke obvious had no clue, but then again, Yusuke didn't have a clue about much. He went on instincts. Lorin….

Lorin was a different story in everyway. From the first two dates when she refused to be scared of the otherworldly things that happened to fighting in the Dark Tournament. She had gotten in deeper behind his walls than anyone. He was still confused as to how she'd managed it.

Hiei shifted slightly as the wind changed directions. He was sitting in damp clothes on a tree branch outside Lorin's room. That was why he hurt, not the clothes, wet from last night's rain, but the weeping that had come to him from that room. Since she had left in anger, Hiei had been watching her. She had disappeared completely for two days right after she'd yelled at him. Lorin had come back, but something was very wrong. He couldn't tell what was wrong. She was very sick, more so than she ever told her parents.

Lorin didn't scream out loud when the pain took her, or muffled the screams in a pillow, but her mind yelled to the heavens. His Jagan let him hear every ounce of her agony. Hiei was no healer. He couldn't figure out what was making her hurt, but he could at least live her pain with her.

He didn't go to her or even let her know he was near. She had made it clear that she would come back when she wanted to and Hiei didn't want to risk losing her for good, no matter how much it hurt him to be away from her now. At least it appeared she was going to find Kurama and ask for help. He owed the kitsune for writing that letter.

When she cried after that, he almost broke down and went to her. Hiei fingered a red and black gem hanging around his neck. That night, when she got the letter, her heart-wrenching sobs had overwhelmed him and he'd released a tear, the only one he had ever cried. This gem belonged to her. He'd keep it safe until she came back to him.

Hiei stirred as Lorin walked out her front door and down the sidewalk. She had her backpack and her katana. Sunlight caught something around her neck. Flitting to a closer branch, Hiei made out the fire pendent he had given her. A flicker of hope sprang to life. Surely if she still wore it, she didn't hate him forever.

He followed her to the center of the city, to the train station. Good, it looked like she was heading in Kurama's direction. That was to where the fighting was, and Hiei knew that Lorin would not be left out it, no matter what pain she was in. He would have to join in as well, to keep her safe. He had seen her burn that rose attempting to summon a Rose Whip. Her powers weren't working.

The fire demon was still angry at Koenma's labeling his strength, but it wasn't worth hurting. There were things he needed to take care of first here. Kurama would keep her safe until he came. He knew that the kitsune cared for Lorin as much as he did, but Yoko respected Suichi and Lorin's ningen beliefs of one partner at a time. Youkai weren't so limited in their thinking, yet another way they were superior to ningen.

Hiei watched as Lorin boarded the train for Mushiyori City. She moved much slower than usual. She must be hurting again. The hi youkai settled himself on his perch and opened his Jagan. It took him less and less time to find her mind each time he sought it. Yes, she was in pain. It was not as bad as some, but still more than could be ignored. This time, however, one thought stood firm in the maelstrom.

_I'm sorry, Hiei_

* * *

The train ride was mostly uneventful. Lorin rode almost the whole way with her eyes closed, her focus turned inward. Blue warred with red, she fought with the demons, she was the demons, her body was being dissolved by the blue, by her reiki. The pain ebbed and flowed, it bit and throbbed.

And through it all, Hiei was with her. She didn't know how such a thing could be; she'd left him behind. He was so far away, but his face was always in the background of the train ride. It helped, even if she was just imagining it.

_I'm sorry, Hiei. I'm sorry._

Lorin decided when she got back home the first thing she would do was find Hiei and hug him, even though he didn't like it, and cry, even though she would look weak, and beg him to take her back. Maybe, just maybe, he would take her back.

"Next stop, Mushiyori City."

Lorin opened her eyes. Oddly enough, the chaos of her mind had settled her power and dulled the pain. She joined the people getting off the train. A family ahead of her brought a smile to her face. That was the reason Yusuke and the others did what they did. Well, they also liked to beat things senseless. She had to grin at that thought. She missed the boys and their idiocy.

Stepping off the train, Lorin was stunned. Everyone was just going about their business, apparently completely oblivious to the strange, creepy sight around them. Bugs, lots and lots of creepy, icky bugs. They were everywhere – on people, on the walls, flying through the air. The buzzing was a deep background tone, but it didn't seem to bother anyone but her.

"Are you alright, miss?" The conductor came over to her. "You look pale." He looked concerned for her but didn't seem to care about the six-legged bug crawling on his face. Lorin forced herself not to stare.

"I'm fine, sir. I have never been to Mushiyori City." She gave him a smile and he nodded.

"We have a beautiful city. If you're sure you're okay, I will get back to work." The sentence was half question, half statement. Lorin nodded and waved as she walked out of the train station.

Outside was even worse. The clouds of bugs were thicker and Lorin had to suppress a look of disgust. She hated anything smaller than her hand with multiple legs, and wings made it ten times worse. But Kurama was out there and she had come all this way to get to him. She wasn't going to let any _bugs_ stop her. She had faced demons; bugs shouldn't faze her.

Lorin took a deep breath and headed into the crowd of people and insects.

* * *

The sun was setting as she approached the hospital. She was exhausted, going non-stop since she had left the train station. Lorin had followed the reiki and youki traces left behind by her friends. Those bakas had led her on a wild goose chase that had gone all over the city. And when the teams had split up, she had to follow both sets for a while. The dull ache at the base of her neck had started about lunch time and had spread from there. By the time she reached the hospital, Lorin was frustrated, in pain and ready to beat the boys into the wall, _then_ make them help her.

It did have her slightly worried that she was searching a hospital for them, but knew that they could handle a lot. Faint traces of reiki were still all over the lower floors, fading even more as she rode the elevator higher. Finally, on the sixth floor, she felt a concentration of energy. It was extremely weird. She seemed to step into an area saturated with one energy signature.

Lorin made her way down the hall, testing for energy. One door, about halfway down, seemed to be the focal point for the area of energy.

_Maybe this is a Territory, like SK told me about._

Carefully, Lorin opened the door and stopped halfway in surprise. Intent eyes stared at her before recognition hit and the person mirrored her surprise.

"Lorin Nichols? What are you doing here?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing, Kaitou. You're the last person I expected to find here." Lorin was baffled as to why a classmate of hers and SK's was sitting in the middle of a strange reiki field in a hospital.

He motioned to the three sleeping forms behind him. "My friends were hurt. I'm here to make sure they're alright," he explained, resuming his seat and picking up the newspaper he had been reading.

Lorin glanced at the sleeping boys. They did look beat up. She returned her gaze back to Kaitou and a few pieces clicked in her over-tired brain. "So when did you realize your gift?" she asked leaning against the wall. There was another chair in the room, but Lorin was worried about getting back up later if she sat down.

Kaitou pushed his glasses up with one finger. "I was wondering if you knew. I've had mine for a few months. I have the power of Taboo."

Lorin nodded, understanding flooding. "So you were in the House of Four Dimensions. You were the one who took Hiei's soul." Her eyes glinted darkly.

"I did, but don't worry. Master Genkai was near by to put them back, should they have failed. There was no danger." Kaitou seemed to realize that he had found a touchy subject, so he decided to change it. "How long have you had your powers?"

Lorin considered, deciding to come back to the Hiei subject later. "It's been about eleven or twelve months, though it feels like longer. Do you know about the Dark Tournament?" she asked, then continued at his nod. "I fought with the boys in that."

Silence fell and Lorin sighed. "They aren't here, are they?"

Kaitou shook his head. "If you mean Urameshi and Suichi, no. They went back home a few hours ago."

Lorin paled and sunk to the floor. "Of course they did," she said quietly. She looked up when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you alright?" Kaitou asked.

"No. There's something wrong with me and I need SK's help. I've been chasing him all day. I'm exhausted."

"As a side note, why do you call him SK? I've always wondered."

"Suichi Kurama. That's what I call him when we're alone. SK is a version I can use in public." Lorin smiled briefly at the thought of her friend.

"Come on. I'll walk you to the train station. These guys will be alright for a few minutes." Kaitou held out a hand which Lorin took. He escorted her downstairs. "Suichi will be home tomorrow, most likely," he commented. "Why don't you go home and sleep. I'll make sure he knows you were looking for him when I see him."

Lorin nodded, realizing how tired she was. It was a silent walk back to the train station. Lorin fell asleep on the train, only the thought of Hiei being close waking her enough to get off and home.

* * *

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